3 stars
Written as part of her Master of Fine Arts project, this book gives glimpses into El Sayed’s life, both from childhood to adolescents and into adulthood. The book tackles many topics including cancer, parental expectations and double standards, racism, bullying, divorce, friendship, religion, and moving to a different country. It deals largely with El Sayed’s family life growing up, moving from Egypt to Australia, and coming to terms with her parents’ rules.
There is a broad range to the stories included. Some are humorous, some are heartbreaking, some are insightful, some are a bit dry. There is a lot of ground covered, leading to some interesting anecdotes.
I did find the choppy nature of the storytelling a bit disorienting at times. It was often difficult for me to decern how old El Sayed was in each anecdote, which sometimes led to confusion. At times, there didn’t appear to be any message or insight into the experience told. The events just kind of fizzled out by the end of the chapter. I don’t believe everything necessarily needs a moral, but it made for a reading experience that was, at times, bland and felt a bit random. There wasn’t necessarily a larger element to the story aside from sharing glimpses into her life and her parents’ expectations of her.
Overall, a good read that shared some interesting stories.