PositiveThe Cleveland ReviewPatterson’s flashbacks to his life in America, as well as vivid descriptions of watching partisan divisions grow over time, give the reader a disturbing sense that this could easily happen in our lifetime ... As a reader, it can be difficult to know what can be believed from Paterson’s narration. We are made to share in his loose grip on reality ... poses the seemingly impossible question of what anyone might do in such a situation, which is only impossible until it happens. Nobody expects to become a refugee. Through Patterson, we glance some of the emotions and pressures that might come with these conditions. We’re left wondering—with a tangible sense of urgency—whether or not we are ever in control of our own destiny.
