Internment by Samira Ahmed
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
**2.5-stars**
This hurts my heart.
I wanted so much to love this. It was one of my most anticipated reads for the first part of the year.
I did not like this.
I’m crushed.
One reason I was so excited for this book was the exploration of topics and perspectives that I think are so important and need to be included more often.
This book did touch on many issues that are salient in today’s culture, such as: Islamophobia, xenophobia, ‘us vs. them’ mentality, the politics of fear, the importance of resistance movements to initiating change, black op sites, disappeared peoples, the illegal detainment of individuals and the abuse/neglect and torture of detainees.
All of this stuff.
Yes. Let’s see more of it, particularly from those peoples or populations most affected.
My issue with this was purely in execution. The first 20% was so gripping. The circumstances were terrifying. I was hooked.
Then it just lost me. Layla, the main character’s, fixation on her boyfriend, the storyline involving the guard, Jake, the dialogue.
Don’t get me started on the dialogue.
In summation, this was a disappointment for me. I still think the content is important and I hope people continue to read this and discuss it. Maybe I am in the minority here with this opinion. As I always say, there is a reader for every book! Sadly, this one just didn’t work for me.