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A review by sweekune
This Place of Happiness by Nicki Herring
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5/5
I've waited a long time to read this book and am definitely not disappointed. An emotional, well woven story about Rabia, an Algerian teenager, her friend Ali, her grandmother and her ancestors, bringing historical events and tragedies and mingling them with modern struggles.
- The story is told from a few different view points and I enjoyed that each view point had its own distinct voice, with no confusion over who was narrating.
- The history of the Naïll people was haunting and fascinating and I plan to spend some time learning about the real culture. The details felt well researched and put together. There were no caricatures or stereotypes but well written and described individuals.
- The is an LGBTQ+ plotline and it is emotional but well done. It describes well the struggles of gay and queer people in places that are less accepting and the difficult choices people have to make to keep themselves and others safe.
A wonderful and deep story that I will be thinking about for a long time.
I've waited a long time to read this book and am definitely not disappointed. An emotional, well woven story about Rabia, an Algerian teenager, her friend Ali, her grandmother and her ancestors, bringing historical events and tragedies and mingling them with modern struggles.
- The story is told from a few different view points and I enjoyed that each view point had its own distinct voice, with no confusion over who was narrating.
- The history of the Naïll people was haunting and fascinating and I plan to spend some time learning about the real culture. The details felt well researched and put together. There were no caricatures or stereotypes but well written and described individuals.
- The is an LGBTQ+ plotline and it is emotional but well done. It describes well the struggles of gay and queer people in places that are less accepting and the difficult choices people have to make to keep themselves and others safe.
A wonderful and deep story that I will be thinking about for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail