PositiveNew York Times Book ReviewMade in China capture[s] the confusion and wonder of lives spent looking ... Qu’s narrative is laced with bitterness and aching ... The struggle...seems to be holding all of these conflicting emotions at once ... Qu honor[s] these complexities, tell us we were not meant to swallow our pain and survive in this world without support systems.
Suleika Jaouad
RaveThe New York Times Book ReviewIn the beginning, we treated the pandemic as a suspended time between two realities, hoping we could hold our breath and wait for things to resume. Between Two Kingdoms, by Suleika Jaouad, has arrived as a guide to another kind of in-between, with haunting similarities ... There are times the pacing plateaus, where length dilutes urgency, but I was immersed for the whole ride and would follow Jaouad anywhere. Her sensory snapshots remain in my mind long after reading ... Not only can Jaouad tolerate the unbearable feelings, she can reshape them into poetry ... Her writing restores the moon, lights the way as we learn to endure the unknown.
