Hello friends, happy Wednesday! I hope your week has been great so far! Today I’m posting my review of Hala Alyan Salt Houses.

Salt Houses by: Hala Alyan: A story that spans generations; from the 1960s in Nablus all the way to the 2010’s in Beirut, this novel gave different perspectives to how the constant war has affected one family through the generations. From Salma, to her great-granddaughter, Manar, this told the story of how one family continue to realize they can’t go home. This novel could be so harrowing at times, but also so beautiful as well. Alyan’s writing was so lush that it really drove points home, but it also gave hope and beauty in a world that felt like it was always crumbling. It took time for this reader to get into the story because there were multiple characters spread throughout many generations involved and it was hard to connect with them on any level. As the reader made it further into plot, and they understood it better, it got easier to figure out who was who. It also helped that the author provided a family tree in the beginning to help guide the reader. The deeper we got in the story, the deeper and emotional it got, too. It was a really profound story that painted a picture of a world this reader especially, isn’t used to seeing. It was eye opening and captivating to read. The plot started off slow, but it soon opened up and sped up because it was hard not to put down to see what was going to happen next. The characters were intensely developed; they were rooted in generational trauma and we could see as the next generation wanted to break the cycle from the one before, but found swept in similar situations. Each character point of view was slightly different, but they all still felt alike in many ways and the reader found that powerful to read. This was a really well put together novel, that kept the reader on their toes, and it depicted a life that is probably very relatable to a lot of people and that’s what made this so humanizing to read.