This book has such beautiful writing. It is so incredibly sad. Such a fantastic memoir. The book that everyone should read

"I Don't Want to Talk About Home" by Suad Aldarra is a powerful and deeply personal memoir that delves into the complexities of identity, displacement, and the search for belonging. The anuthor’s unflinching honesty and raw vulnerability make this memoir an unforgettable and essential read.

The book takes readers on an intimate journey through the author's life, beginning with her childhood in Syria and her eventual migration to the United States. Through eloquent prose, the author masterfully paints a vivid picture of her experiences, offering a unique perspective on the challenges faced by refugees and immigrants.

One of the most remarkable aspects of this memoir is author’s introspective exploration of her identity. Struggling with the cultural clash between her Syrian heritage and the American society she is now a part of, the author grapples with the idea of home and what it truly means to belong. Her candid reflections on the process of assimilation and the emotional toll it takes are profoundly moving.

The narrative is masterfully paced, engaging readers from the very first page and holding their attention throughout. Aldarra's storytelling ability shines as she weaves together her past and present, seamlessly transitioning between different phases of her life, and ultimately creating a cohesive and compelling narrative.

I feel a bit guilty giving someone's real life a 'star' rating, and I did enjoy a lot of aspects of this memoir, telling Suad Aldarra's story moving from Saudi Arabia to Syria, and later to Ireland when the Syrian Civil War broke out. It was great to see a refugee narrative that also addressed mental health, guilt, relationship issues, and some of the messier aspects of refugee life rather than just a saintly, news-ready narrative. However, the quality of the writing was quite poor and it felt hard to engage with because of this.

I Don't Want to Talk About Home is not a memoir about war and destruction. It's not about camps or boats. It's about the enduring love for a home that ceased to exist, building a life out of the rubble, and the parts of yourself you lose and find when integrating into a new world.
Such an insightful read.

I don’t normally gravitate towards memoirs but this one caught my eye and I’m so glad it did. I found it extremely well written and it was a hugely informative and enlightening read. Highly recommended.

I’m usually not a big memoir reader, but I was so intrigued to read I Don’t Want to Talk About Home due to the rave reviews I’d heard. It certainly didn’t disappoint - I was captivated by Suad’s story and sharp writing right from the start.

Suad grew up in Saudi Arabia, where she struggled with the societal rules placed on women. She moved to Damascus, Syria for university, where she lived more freely, but when the war broke out, her life was thrown into complete disarray.

I teared up at several points in the novel, so invested in Suad’s story and wanting her to succeed.I really hope Suad continues to publish books - would love to read some fiction from her.

3.75 rounded up to 4 stars.

“I Don’t Want to Talk About Home” is a debut memoir that follows Suad Aldarra. From her conservative upbringing in Saudi Arabia, her studies in her family’s homeland of Syria, the war, Egypt and eventually her work in Ireland and New York.

I had really mixed feelings reading this memoir.

There were many aspects of this memoir that I found fascinating. My knowledge of Saudi Arabia has come from Western media and my fathers experience working there as a foreigner and a man. It was interesting to learn more about Saudi and the countries hyper conservative treatment of women.

I liked the depictions of Damascus pre-wartime as this isn’t a Syria most of the world is familiar with. Her time in Syria was described in ways that reflected not only the conflict within the country, but the conflict within. The desire to stay in your homeland and the urge to leave.

As an Irish person, I enjoyed seeing the depictions of Ireland and Irish people from an outsiders view. However, as a POC in Ireland, I didn’t always agree with these depictions which were mostly framed in a positive light. I’m glad the author had these positive experiences but personally, for me and other POC I know in Ireland, we don’t share the same experiences.

I cringed a bit during the humanitarian parts of the book until the author herself realised the hypocrisy of humanitarian workers spending money that could be sent to those in need, on fancy and expensive dinners and events. I also wish the author had included something on Direct Provision. An inhumane and human rights violation that perpetuates systemic racism within Ireland. I am SO glad that the author was privileged enough to obtain a work visa (and acknowledges that privilege) but it would have been nice to see mention of those who aren’t in that position.

Saying this, I admire the author immensely. She has gone through so much. She has achieved an incredible amount and I admire her as a woman who has broken societal expectations and followed her heart. It was great to hear her story and see her growth during the memoir. Definitely a woman to admire!

Overall, it was a good debut, I got to learn about Saudi and Syria and follow a very interesting woman’s life. I feel weird rating a memoir as it’s the authors life and her story is fascinating, but the writing was a bit cliché at times which has brought down my star rating.

Thank you to Netgalley and Transworld Publishers for an early copy of this book.

Suad Aldarra was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. She felt stifled by the sexist, and oppressive regime and longed to move to Syria where her parents were from and where she spent many happy summers. After finishing school she manages to get into Damascus University, where she revelled in her new-found freedom.

Then war came and everything changed. Thanks to her degree she was eventually able to move to Ireland on a work visa and later her new husband was able to follow her. But with culture shock, stress of uncertainty about when she could she her family and friends again, the grief for the life and land she had to leave behind, reaching safety didn't end her troubles.

This was an interesting, well written and very accessible book. It was very interesting to see Aldarra's complicated relationship with her family and her try and reconcile her religion and it's place in her new life.

Being Irish myself, I found it fascinating to see the perspective of someone moving her from an very different world, and adjusting to the people, the way of life, the weather and the language (Hiberno-English, as opposed to the English she had previously learned). I couldn't help comparing and contrasting Aldarra's experience with this and my own father's; he moved from another European country to Ireland in the 1970's, so his experience was wildly different.

I found this book very enlightening on an experience I knew little about.