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2/5

Quite disappointing. Despite very well written parts, the way the book was constructed made it hard to read and to follow the story.

The way the book was constructed was a disservice to the interesting themes presented in the book: expatriation, homecoming, the feeling of not belonging (especially for the future generations), etc.

Its lyrical language and writing is why I give this book a so-so and not a worse rating. The storyline was difficult for me to follow. I lost interest in the characters and place. Hung in there to the end only to see if it got any better but no, not for me.

So incredibly evocative. I can practically feel the spray of rain

I really wanted to like this. It started off promising. Great atmosphere, wonderful descriptions, & a story I was interested in. Things progressed well for the first 2/3, presenting snippets of family history. Unfortunately, it wound up feeling like short vignettes with no real purpose. There wasn't a thoughtful ending, things just sort of dropped off. The writing was good & lyrical, but the construction of the narrative was less than I expected.