The Map of Salt and Stars in Pick-a-Shelf

Apr 14, 2019 Susan rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, historical-fiction

Telling two stories separated by time but either intertwined or parallel has become far too common in contemporary fiction for my taste. But those in this book complement each other well. Nour is a modern-day refugee from Syria, trying against all odds to reach a place of safety with her mother and younger sister. That she could even survive the journey as it is described is nearly unbelievable. Rawiya is the daughter of a widow in the 13th century, who disguises herself as a boy in order to app ...more

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May 16, 2023 Sabrina rated it really liked it

I will admit that it took me awhile to get into and get through this book. I started, left the book sitting for some time and had to start over a couple of times. However, this start, stop, start again with The Map of Salt and Stars was more a life/work balance issue than an I issue with the book itself because once I finally got into a place where I could read without having to set the book aside for a big chunk of time, it really drew me in and kept my attention.

A Map of Salt and Stars weaves I will admit that it took me awhile to get into and get through this book. I started, left the book sitting for some time and had to start over a couple of times. However, this start, stop, start again with The Map of Salt and Stars was more a life/work balance issue than an I issue with the book itself because once I finally got into a place where I could read without having to set the book aside for a big chunk of time, it really drew me in and kept my attention.

A Map of Salt and Stars weaves the tale of Nour and her family, who have recently moved to Syria after the death of her father, with the tale of Rawiya, a young woman, who has left her home to seek out the famous mapmaker in hopes of apprenticing herself to him to not only learn a skill but to seek her fortune.

Nour grew up hearing the tale of Rawiya because this was her favorable tail that her father would share with her even after he got very sick and was too I鈥檒l to do much more than lie around and weave stories for his youngest daughter.

One of the lovely things about A Map of Salt and Stars is how Joukhadar weaves issues of identity and belonging throughout the text. To make her journey, Rawiya disguises herself as a boy, the son of a merchant and adopts the name Rami. So, she cuts her hair very short, dresses in boys clothing, and tries hiding her face and head through the journey. Nour comes from a family of mixed religion鈥擟hristian and Muslim鈥攁nd she doesn鈥檛 fully know what or if she believes, especially after her father鈥檚 death. Her two sisters were born in Syria before their fa,ily moved to New York, where Nour was born. Thus, Nour experiences some uncertainty regarding her cultural identity as well, especially since one of ber sister鈥檚 often teases her about not being able to speak Arabic.

Nour鈥檚 family soon finds themselves making a perilous journey due to the need to flee the civil war in Syria and the growing fighting throughput the region. Joukhadar interviews the tale of Rawiya鈥檚 journey with the renowned map-maker and Nour鈥檚 family鈥檚 flight from Syria as her family finds themselves following the same path of Rawiya鈥檚 journey before much of the area was even mapped out. This interweaving of dual timelines is done smoothly and effectively without having jarring transitions that some other books that adopt this narrative strategy do.

Overall, this text was an enjoyable read. ...more

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