Review by MarveeAman -- Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
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Review by MarveeAman -- Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
A heartwarming story about an 11-year-old girl and her family's experiences with passion, longing, death, anger, and repentance. We meet three female characters in Kalayla who live in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the late '90s. Three female protagonists, each with a different ethnic background and disposition, are central to the story.
Lena is the apartment owner. She was once married to an abusive husband and is now a widow. She lives alone and has no one to call her own. Two of her sons were killed in a war, and the other two were estranged from her. Maureen, Kalaya's mum, is also a widow. She gave up everything for her daughter Kalayla. Maureen was unable to tell her child that when she married her spouse, Jamal, her family had rejected her. Kalayla is an 11-year-old mixed-race girl who believes her maternal grandparents died in an explosion. All three women demonstrate compassion, strength, and support for one another, showing that family does not always have to be blood-linked.
It’s a story about a culture I’m honestly not really familiar with, but I did learn a lot from reading this. This book discusses cross-cultural marriage, which is an age-old concept that is still prevalent in many communities. I never imagined that marrying out of cast could be problematic in Western culture as well. Sure, it's fiction, but it introduced me to a world I didn't know anything about.
I'd like to highlight a few positive aspects of this book. Firstly, the story does not sound daunting or confusing, despite the variety of perspectives. It is very easy to follow. Secondly, I had a good time reading this book and laughing at Kalayla's shenanigans. There is a constant tug of war between Kalayla and Lena, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Thirdly, the exciting plot has a lot to offer and moves smoothly from one chapter to the next. Lastly, Jeannie Nicholas did a fantastic job of focusing on life in the late 1990s when the internet and cell phones were both relatively new. So you can feel the vibes of the '90s in this story.
On the negative side, there are a few issues that need to be addressed. To begin with, the author does not go into great detail with her imagery and explanations Therefore, the book fails to follow a key writing rule: Show, don't tell. Furthermore, I found Kalayla's character to be a little too dramatic at times. Also, although the sentences were simple, they were not crisp. As a result, I believe the author frittered away the chance to write philosophical dialogues.
I found the profanity to be borderline but not overly offensive. There was no mature content found there. Also, the book briefly mentions racism and domestic abuse, but not in detail. I only found a few minor errors that didn't interfere with my reading experience. Hence, I can confidently say that the book has been professionally edited.
Kalayla would have received a perfect rating. However, I would deduct one point for the poor writing style. Hence, I'd rate it 3 out of 4 stars. You'll definitely enjoy this book if you enjoy books about dysfunctional families and family drama.
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Kalayla
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