RaveZYZZYVAFrom the beginning, we plunge into Jarrar’s punchy colloquialism and narrative prowess. There is a cheeky playfulness to her writing, a brash humor that forces us to bear witness to the people and experiences that are erased, like a \'magic trick\' ... Yet this is not a jovial narrative ... Jarrar balances this pain and trauma with moments of beauty and pleasure ... If a road trip narrative relates a definitive personal transformation that occurs somewhere between where we start and where we end up, Love Is an Ex-Country defies that expectation ... These irresolutions and contradictions are perhaps what makes this complex, non-chronological memoir feel complete.
Te-Ping Chen
RaveZYZZYVAChen gives breath and form to those who may be overlooked ... Even while grappling with social critiques, which often can veer into cynicism, there is a surprising buoyancy to Chen’s stories. Combining her journalistic acumen with her skill as a storyteller, she brings readers otherworldly joy ... In some ways, Chen’s stories are so real they seem prophetic ... a bold achievement in both the breadth of its themes and the precision of its details. It is an ambitious undertaking for sure, spanning borders and chronologies, and narrators of no one common biography. Still, Te-Ping Chen anchors us by providing unexpected solace through stories that celebrate how the strongest of human impulses is to preserve the freedom to act.
