Other Words for Home provides a somewhat softer view of the refugee story. Still, the plain actions of the characters say a lot about how they feel and give hints about their thoughts. The author lets the characters act in a very realistic way without adding too much drama. “The one potted plant of mint has grown out Some other times, you have to look for the intention or deep meaning in a seemingly simple sentence. She uses poetical metaphors, inserts pauses at just the right moment, and provides powerful quotes.
While not giving many detailed descriptions, Warga conveys Jude’s feelings as well as the mood of the story very precisely through the style of her writing. This makes the story relatable to anyone who reads it. As a consequence, the reader is given a lot of room for imagination, which enables one to put themself into Jude’s shoes and still look at things through their own perspective.
The author uses the verses more to describe actions than to give specific details. Even though I was slightly suspicious of this narrative style at first, I believe it suits the story very well. The story is told from Jude’s perspective, and similar to two other novels by Jasmine Warga, it is written in verses. I really enjoyed reading the book because it offers a magnificent moral to teens. She is determined to show the world that even a Muslim, wearing a headscarf and speaking broken English, can achieve anything. When her school announces an upcoming play, the young girl makes up her mind to try out for it. Still, she tries to be brave like she had promised her brother. How is she supposed to live in that big country, where everything moves so fast, without her loved ones? How is she going to communicate with others? Will the Americans even welcome her? While Jude feels lucky to be safe, she also witnesses discrimination and faces prejudices. Her simplistic outlook gets replaced by worries and self-doubt. But Jude’s surrounding isn't the only thing changing. In the United States, they stay with Jude’s uncle and his family. As the environment gets too dangerous, Jude and her pregnant mother leave their family and home behind in order to move to the United States.
Even though Jude is shocked by the war happening in the surrounding cities, her only desire – besides becoming a popular actress – is to have a peaceful family dinner in the evenings. She goes to the mosque and lives with her parents. She watches American movies with her older brother and her best friend, imagining to be a famous actress herself one day. The book follows the journey of a girl called Jude, who was born in Syria. The hardcover version of the book contains 352 pages, and the novel was written by Jasmine Warga, whose books have been translated into more than 25 languages and were even optioned for film. Other Words for Home is a fictional novel, published by Balzer+Bray in May 2019.
0 kommentar(er)
