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reviewed What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad

Omar El Akkad: What Strange Paradise (2021, Pan Macmillan) 4 stars

Memorable and important

5 stars

A book that dives into the migrant crisis like few others do. The story begins when bodies wash up on the shores of a small island. In alternating chapters, the situation unfolds either from the perspective of young migrant Amir, or from the perspective of the girl who shelters him, speaks a different language, and zigzags around the authorities to keep him safe. A beautiful and difficult book, haunting and devastating, that navigates a political and personal storyline.