RATING- ★★★★★
GENRE- Contemporary, Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS
The Beauty of Your Face is a profound and poignant exploration of one woman’s life in a nation at odds with its ideals.Afaf Rahman, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, is the principal of Nurrideen School for Girls, a Muslim school in the Chicago suburbs. One morning, a shooter―radicalized by the online alt-right―attacks the school.
As Afaf listens to his terrifying progress, we are swept back through her memories: the bigotry she faced as a child, her mother’s dreams of returning to Palestine, and the devastating disappearance of her older sister that tore her family apart. Still, there is the sweetness of the music from her father’s oud, and the hope and community Afaf finally finds in Islam.
MY REVIEW
>>The story opens with a shooting scene that is taking place at all-girl Muslim high school in Chicago, when Afaf hears the shooting she goes back to her childhood memories. Afaf takes us to a journey of her childhood days.She was an American born child of Palestinian immigrants along with an elder sister, Nada (seventeen-year- old) and a younger brother Majeed (seven-year-old). She used to live in a small house with her parents and siblings in Chicago.
>>But the whole family falls apart when Afaf’s elder sister, Nada, suddenly disappears from the house. The whole family struggled a lot after the disappearance of Nada. This incidence laid an impact on the lives of each character which was associated with Nada. Her mother started suffering from depression, Afaf’s life turned upside down and started losing her identity, her father became an alcoholic. Without revealing much about the story I would suggest you to read this book.
What I liked about the book
The story of the book was both plot and character driven. Although the story travels back and forth, still I was enjoying every bit of the story. It was complex and beautifully written. For me, It started off a little slowly, but the more I read the more I felt connected to the characters. I was drawn to this book because of the interesting blurb and I loved the story. I wish I could give all the stars to this book.
A Book and A Dream 