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In the Language of Miracles
In the Language of Miracles: A Novel | Rajia Hassib
27 posts | 22 read | 38 to read
A New York Times Editors Choice Assured and beautifully crafted . . . Hassib is a natural, graceful writer with a keen eye for cultural difference. . . . [She] handles the anatomy of grief with great delicacy. . . . In the Language of Miracles should find a large and eager readership. For the beauty of the writing alone, Hassib deserves it. Monica Ali, The New York Times Book Review [A] sensitive, finely wrought debut . . . sharply observant of immigrants intricate relationships to their adopted homelands, this exciting novel announces the arrival of a psychologically and socially astute new writer. Kirkus Reviews (starred review) For readers of House of Sand and Fog, a mesmerizing debut novel of an Egyptian American family and the wrenching tragedy that tears their lives apart Samir and Nagla Al-Menshawy appear to have attained the American dream. After immigrating to the United States from Egypt, Samir successfully works his way through a residency and launches his own medical practice as Nagla tends to their firstborn, Hosaam, in the cramped quarters of a small apartment. Soon the growing family moves into a big house in the manicured New Jersey suburb of Summerset, where their three children eventually attend school with Natalie Bradstreet, the daughter of their neighbors and best friends. More than a decade later, the familys seemingly stable life is suddenly upended when a devastating turn of events leaves Hosaam and Natalie dead and turns the Al-Menshawys into outcasts in their own town. Narrated a year after Hosaam and Natalies deaths, Rajia Hassibs heartfelt novel follows the Al-Menshawys during the five days leading up to the memorial service that the Bradstreets have organized to mark the one-year anniversary of their daughters death. While Nagla strives to understand her role in the tragedy and Samir desperately seeks reconciliation with the community, Khaled, their surviving son, finds himself living in the shadow of his troubled brother. Struggling under the guilt and pressure of being the good son, Khaled turns to the city in hopes of finding happiness away from the painful memories home conjures. Yet he is repeatedly pulled back home to his grandmother, Ehsan, who arrives from Egypt armed with incense, prayers, and an unyielding determination to stop the unraveling of her daughters family. In Ehsan, Khaled finds either a true hope of salvation or the embodiment of everything he must flee if he is ever to find himself. Writing with unflinchingly honest prose, Rajia Hassib tells the story of one family pushed to the brink by tragedy and mental illness, trying to salvage the life they worked so hard to achieve. The graceful, elegiac voice of In the Language of Miracles paints tender portraits of a familys struggle to move on in the wake of heartbreak, to stay true to its traditions, and above all else, to find acceptance and reconciliation. From the Hardcover edition.
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review
BarbaraBB
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Pickpick

The Al-Menshawys are Egyptian immigrants in a small NJ town. They‘ve lived there for 20 years when tragedy strikes. Their eldest son kills his ex-girlfriend and himself. The community‘s prejudice is relentless. Though it‘s ever present Hassib‘s story mainly shows how grief and guilt isolate each family member.
The pov switches between all of them. Set in the year following the tragic event, this is an emotional and nuanced debut.

#doublespin

Kalalalatja Wow, it sounds powerful! 4y
AmyG Sounds good. And I am from NJ, so this also interests me. Thanks for posting. 4y
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Megabooks This sounds really interesting! 4y
alisiakae This sounds good! 4y
Librariana This sounds very intriguing and sad 💙 4y
squirrelbrain This sounds so good - stacked! 4y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 4y
Hooked_on_books That sounds tough but really good. 4y
70 likes7 stack adds9 comments
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BarbaraBB
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#WeeklyForecast 12/21

I started two books for #ReadingAsia2021: North Korea and Mongolia. The tagged one is my #Doublespin and The Hearing Trumpet is this month‘s #NYRBBookClub selection. I am looking forward to reading all of them.

Cinfhen Which book is #Mongolia ??! 4y
squirrelbrain They all look great! 👍😁 4y
BarbaraBB @Cinfhen The Blue Sky. It‘s short and good! 4y
TrishB Great choices 👍🏻 4y
Cinfhen Cool 😎 I still need Mongolia 4y
59 likes5 comments
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JacintaMCarter
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Pickpick

#2019Book77
Books about grieving families have a special place in my heart, and I was fascinated by the unusual point-of-view in this novel. Not only was the main character grieving the loss of his brother, but he was also dealing with the fact that his brother died after committing a horrific crime. The chapters that focused on the main character and his mother were beautifully written and I loved learning about those two.

BarbaraBB I just bought this one. Looking forward to it after your review. 5y
55 likes1 comment
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Robothugs
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We lie to protect our families, Ehsan had told her.
We lie to protect ourselves, Nagla revised her mother‘s statement.
We lie because the truth is too much trouble.

LazyOwl The third one resonates with me 7y
64 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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alisonrose
Pickpick

This is one that makes me wish there was something between "pick" and "so-so" because it was good, the writing is beautiful, the story is heavy - but it didn't go deep enough for me and I wasn't wowed by it or anything. But I'll round up to a pick because she's an important voice and I want to be supportive of marginalized stories brought to the forefront. 3/5 ⭐️

sisilia I just finished this, and I too gave it 3/5 🙌🏻 7y
21 likes1 comment
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sisilia
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Pickpick

It took me ages to finish this book. I started reading it before the Japan trip, on the plane, on the shinkansen, and I finally finished it in Nikko.

It‘s a traditional family portrait in modern America. The usual thing - wife to oblige the husband because he provides for the family 🙄, and how this traditional family deals with the loss of the eldest son.

I‘m not crazy about this so ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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alisonrose

The trees seemed vexingly neutral to all that had gone on around them. In her mind, those trees should have all been burned down by now, should have burst in a willful act of spontaneous combustion, leaving an arid, gray expanse, a testimony to the horror that their branches had sheltered.

brilliantglow Great quote. 7y
14 likes1 comment
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alisonrose
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After DNFing that last book, I'm hoping for better luck with this! Too many books to read to force myself through something crappy. On to the next! #nowreading

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sisilia
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The usual mess at a cafe

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sisilia
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Reading this book in such a zen setting

TricksyTails I wish I were there! Loving seeing your travels! ♥️ 7y
Cathythoughts I love the zen setting 💕 7y
Tanisha_A Really want to go to Japan! One day! 😊 7y
90 likes3 comments
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sisilia
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Off to Japan

batsy Lovely! Have a great trip! 7y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa Have a great trip! 7y
Cortg Enjoy! 7y
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Grrlbrarian Wonderful! Have safe fun travels! 7y
Jas16 Safe travels! 7y
RohitSawant Have a great trip! 7y
MrBook Stay safe! Take lots of pictures! 😁 7y
Bookladylinda Have a great time!!! 7y
Kalalalatja Have a nice trip! 7y
robinb Safe travels and enjoy! 7y
Redwritinghood Have a great time! 7y
Ms_T Enjoy! 7y
117 likes13 comments
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sisilia
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Aaahh finally weekend is here, and I have time to read 🕺🏻

Bklover Enjoy! 7y
Zelma Great bookmark! 7y
TricksyTails Your Snoopy! 😍♥️ 7y
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sisilia @TricksyTails 😄 I have 5 Snoopies 7y
TricksyTails I used to have a big one I'd use as a body pillow. As a kid, I'd sleep right right on top like how Mei sleeps on Totoro. I need to find another one like that! 7y
minkyb Love the photo! 7y
80 likes6 comments
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haanim
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Pickpick

A heartbreaking story about family, pride, and making another country your home. 💜
#tearjerker #awesomeautumnbooks

38 likes3 stack adds
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aloslibrary
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Pickpick

I loved this book, it made me cry several times. Art is supposed to make you feel something and In the Language of Miracles definitely did that for me. It's beautifully written and a heartbreaking journey walking with the characters through their unimaginable grief. 4/5 ⭐️

13 likes1 stack add
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aloslibrary
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This book is making me feel all the feels 😩 it's killing me #sogood #imdead

42 likes2 stack adds
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trazo
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Interesting read. I love learning about other cultures through books!

9 likes2 stack adds
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mllemay
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Pickpick

So many interesting issues packed in such a short book: immigration, tragedy, family, grief, acceptance, faith, responsibility, forgiveness... If you liked Everything I Never Told You and/or Jhumpa Lahiri's writing, give this one a try. It's a bit more gentle but still very powerful.

42 likes4 stack adds
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mllemay
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My next reads 👆🏻 I heard about the novel on the All the Books podcast and it sounds reminiscent of Everything I Never Told You, which I loved. And the nonfiction I had to track down after seeing @rabbitprincess post about it!

rabbitprincess Yay! I hope you like it 😊 8y
32 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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mllemay
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Hi, my name is Marie and I'm addicted to my library 🙈
One of my reading resolutions was to read more of the books on my shelves. I had even managed to get my holds list at the library down to 2 or 3 books. And then last week happened. And now here we are.

KVanRead 😂😂😂The struggle is real. 8y
mllemay @KVanRead it so is 😂😂 8y
Suet624 Oh boy. Good luck with that. 8y
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Laura317 It could be worse. You could have a book buying addiction. Like me. 🙋🏽 8y
mllemay @Laura317 pretty sure that's going to hit me as soon as I get a paying job lol 8y
Centique That is the same resolution I have and the same mistake I keep making!! 😂😂 My library has a great app on my phone for looking up and reserving books - it's too easy to keep adding! I have 5 to go pick up now 😱 8y
mllemay @Centique exactly! It's too easy and I have access to it pretty much anywhere so I just. can't. resist! 8y
rabbitprincess Haha meanwhile I usually have about 50 holds active at any given time 😳 I like to creep the On Order sections of the catalogue, so I often have holds on my list for months (and then 5 come in at once 😜) 8y
mllemay @rabbitprincess oh wow - you win lol!! That is a lot of holds 😱 8y
DivineDiana @rabbitprincess Clever strategy! 8y
rabbitprincess @DivineDiana It especially pays off when the library orders new Flavia de Luce books 😄 8y
45 likes11 comments
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Kerouacthedog
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As a non immigrant (I struggle calling myself a native American), I can't imagine the distance in a family of immigrants and their first born generation of children. But this book articulates the distance so well.

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Kerouacthedog
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A wonderful insight into the obstacles, known and unknown, of immigration. And I'm only thirty pages in.

7 likes1 stack add
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Read-eat-travel-repeat
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I won 2 goodreads giveaways in one month's time! It's always exciting to win, especially if the reward is free books!

BethFishReads 👏💫👏💫👏 8y
TheCanuckReader LOVED!! Be frank with me 8y
bookwormkara Ahhh jealous of your lavish winnings!☺️ 8y
16 likes3 comments
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AshleyS
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Pickpick

This is a beautiful book that looks at religion and how a family copes after a tragedy. It gives a close look at each member of the family. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and the cover is super pretty too,

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JulAnna
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Pickpick

So much to think about after reading this! Hard to say 'enjoyed' because the subject matter is so serious, but I appreciate the experience.

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JulAnna
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Book riches! Inbox for today, what should I read next?😊

7 likes1 comment
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auntie_jenn
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finally getting to this one....because @rebeccaschinsky said so. #allthebooks

8 likes2 stack adds
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amma-keep-reading
Pickpick

Although I really enjoyed this book, it isn't a five star book for me. I enjoyed most of the characters especially Khalid and his grandmother. I wish we experienced the story from Ehsan's (the grandmother) perspective. Overall, a wonderfully written story.