PositiveThe Literary ReviewSönmez brilliantly guides the reader through Boratin’s mind, his confusion and his quest to recover his memory. He uses storytelling — anecdotes, fables, and histories — to describe lessons that are valuable for comprehending life. These tales offer morals by which people should live ... The setting is vibrant, and though I’ve never been to Istanbul I feel a sense of familiarity with the city having read Sönmez’s novel. Boratin is an extremely likable character. His dilemma — even for one who has never suffered memory loss — is relatable. After all, aren’t many of us searching — sometimes endlessly — for something that remains elusive?
Golnaz Hashemzadeh Bonde, trans. by Elizabeth Clark Wessel
PositiveThe Literary ReviewGolnaz Hashemzadeh Bonde depicts a haunting and emotional tale of survival, of what it means to be a refugee ... Through language that is practically poetic, Bonde constructs a story that reads like a love letter from mother to daughter ... What We Owe taps into a reader’s emotions and allows them to empathize with Nahid. One cannot help feeling her pain, her estrangement and desperation, and finally her peace.
