Reviews with content warning for War - Silence is My Mother Tongue

It was very well-written, it just wasn’t completely my type of book. It was a little too dense at times. And some of the characters are written a little ambiguously on purpose that it’s hard to get to know them. Some of it is a little hard to read, like uncovering what exactly the Cinema Silenzioso is trying to represent, but it’s still a very interesting read. It focuses on the lives of people living through the unfulfilled promises of their aid workers in a Sudanese refugee camp. They are limited both by their location in the middle of nowhere, but also by themselves and their cultural limitations. The midwife and Saba’s are always trying to force her back into the small box for women while she exists as a person in a masculine form. A constant question is, how can you seek your hopes or make new dreams when you have no opportunities?

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alenezela99's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

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sinaasappelsoep's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Really interesting story. The surroundings of the refugee camp work very dehumanizing: individuals are forced to become part of this collective and their individual identity might not be accepted. Shows great insight into the individual experiences in a refugee camp. Time stands still in a refugee camp, which makes it hard for the characters to develop themselves and grow. It is all about being stuck, not just in a place, but also in a time, a culture, a gender, a body

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