From a Crooked Rib Book

Moving, insightful, and quick - I'm happy that I read this and learned about a culture I didn't know much about, but I can't say that I particularly enjoyed the experience. It has (as other reviewers have pointed out) many of the flaws of the first novel, one written in just three weeks: time moves oddly; the occasional perspective shifts are jarring; an overreliance on dreams; the accumulation of plot begins to overwhelm the writer, as evidenced by the book changing style as it goes - big scenes at the beginning with lots of detail, but a rush at the end, involving a coincidence (a bad one) to get Farah out of a polygamy subplot that he never seemed interested in.

I really enjoyed the first 30 pages of this, and Farah's gifts, which have lead to a great career, are apparent - his inhabitation of the perspective of an 18 year old girl is notable and a happy surprise. And she is a great character, one I cared about. But beyond the quirks in the writing of this debut, books about curses tend to feel flat if the curse is introduced in the beginning. It's a bit like a movie preview that gives away too much: you still watch, but you're waiting to get past what you already sort of know.