The Thirty Names of Night: A Novel
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2020-11-25 04:11:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Zeyn Joukhadar
- ISBN：9781982121495
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
03/30/2020
Joukhadar’s evocative follow-up to The Map of Salt and Stars explores a 20-something Syrian-American trans man’s journey of self-discovery。 The unnamed protagonist—he later goes by the name he gives himself， Nadir—is an aspiring artist in Brooklyn who likes to go out dancing with friends and enjoys listening to his friend Sami play the oud。 Nadir lives with his grandmother， Teta， and is haunted by the death of his mother years ago in a fire。 After Nadir finds a diary belonging to a Syrian artist named Laila， in an old tenement inhabited by Syrian-Americans， he becomes obsessed with finding the print of a rare bird by Laila。 As the story unfolds， Nadir’s narration and direct addresses to his mother （“your presence is still here， everywhere， your hand on everything”） expands to include Laila’s voice （“The day I began to bleed was the day I met the woman who built the flying machine”） as Nadir blossoms into his trans identity。 Scenes with Sami， with whom Nadir falls in love， are particularly affecting。 Quietly lyrical and richly imaginative， Joukhadar’s tale shows how Laila and Nadir live and love and work past the shame in their lives through their art。 This is a stirring portrait of an artist as a young man。 （May）
Reviews
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Nelda Brangwin
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The storyline pulled together so beautifully at the end that I totally forgive it for my occasional confusion。 Following the lives of three generations of Syrian Americans living in New York City， this isn’t your typical immigrant story。 It’s the story of how a community has changed as progress tore apart the old community， but more than that it’s the story of learning self-acceptance for who you are， whether or not you were born into the right sex。 As I watched Nadir rebel against his female bo The storyline pulled together so beautifully at the end that I totally forgive it for my occasional confusion。 Following the lives of three generations of Syrian Americans living in New York City， this isn’t your typical immigrant story。 It’s the story of how a community has changed as progress tore apart the old community， but more than that it’s the story of learning self-acceptance for who you are， whether or not you were born into the right sex。 As I watched Nadir rebel against his female body and came to the slow realization that his grandmother also cared for a female although remaining traditionally female， I had my first realistic view of what life for people who are uncomfortable in the role society places on them。 I struggled with the gender-neutral pronouns， but the more I was immersed in the story the more it became normal。 And most of all I found Joukhader to be a compassionate， caring author in making characters come to life。 。。。more
Lesli
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A beautiful， heartbreaking own voices story about Syrian culture and history and the process and feeling of being transgender。 The Thirty Names of Night is a multi-generational mystery told from 2 points of view: a 20-something Syrian American in current day New York struggling with gender and haunted by his mother's death， and through the journals of Laila， a painter and Syrian immigrant who disappeared from Little Syria in New York City more than 60 years ago， and was also the only person othe A beautiful， heartbreaking own voices story about Syrian culture and history and the process and feeling of being transgender。 The Thirty Names of Night is a multi-generational mystery told from 2 points of view: a 20-something Syrian American in current day New York struggling with gender and haunted by his mother's death， and through the journals of Laila， a painter and Syrian immigrant who disappeared from Little Syria in New York City more than 60 years ago， and was also the only person other than the main character's mother who has seen a rare bird。 The main character struggles with so many things - his gender identity， finding out whether the bird really exists and finding out how his family is connected to the mysterious Laila， and acceptance within his own family and culture as well as racism and gentrification in New York。Zeyn Joukhadar's writing is beautiful， gentle and symbolic， and the story truly is heart-wrenching， as it really makes you feel what it is like to be uncomfortable in your own body and unable to find a place where you can be yourself， more than any other LGBTQ+ or immigrant book I've read。 The story contains so much that it is difficult to follow at times， but I would encourage other readers to stick with it as it does all come together in a beautiful way in the end。Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Sharon May
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Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me the latest novel by Zeyn Joukhadar。 3。5 stars rounded up for such gorgeous writing。This is a very complex story told in two voices - a closeted Syrian American trans boy still haunted by the death of his mother， an ornithologist。 Since her death， he has been unable to paint， except for a mural on an abandoned building at night。 At the building site， he finds a journal from a famous painter， Lydia Z。， who hasn't been seen in 60 years and who Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me the latest novel by Zeyn Joukhadar。 3。5 stars rounded up for such gorgeous writing。This is a very complex story told in two voices - a closeted Syrian American trans boy still haunted by the death of his mother， an ornithologist。 Since her death， he has been unable to paint， except for a mural on an abandoned building at night。 At the building site， he finds a journal from a famous painter， Lydia Z。， who hasn't been seen in 60 years and who is the only other person who has seen the same rare bird as his mother did。 In alternating chapters， we also hear Lydia's story， from her Syrian childhood to her American life。 Birds are at the heart of this story - both the elusive ones， the painted and studied ones， and the ones who seem to be all around the NYC neighborhoods where the story takes place。This is a hard book to review - it has some of the most beautiful sentences and descriptions I've ever read。 But it was a challenge to read。 It seems as if everyone in this book was not comfortable in their skins - whether they don't fit in because of their race， their gender struggles， their lifestyles。 The Syrian language and customs in this book were also difficult for me - I really needed a glossary and my Kindle translator didn't work on any of the words！ It was a bit confusing as well - there is much symbolism and spiritualism so that I wasn't always sure what was real。 But again， the writing was beautiful and I think I just wasn't the right reader for this book。 。。。more
Diane Hernandez
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Thirty Names of Night is a heartfelt tale of two women。 One is a modern NYC first-generation Syrian-American painter of birds， who feels her assigned gender is incorrect。 The other， Laila， is telling the story of her life through her journal。 Her story begins a century earlier in Syria。 It ends in Little Syria in Manhattan。How the two women are connected is the main puzzle in the book。 However， the sumptuous prose and omnipresent bird imagery is what puts this book ahead of the usual immigrant f Thirty Names of Night is a heartfelt tale of two women。 One is a modern NYC first-generation Syrian-American painter of birds， who feels her assigned gender is incorrect。 The other， Laila， is telling the story of her life through her journal。 Her story begins a century earlier in Syria。 It ends in Little Syria in Manhattan。How the two women are connected is the main puzzle in the book。 However， the sumptuous prose and omnipresent bird imagery is what puts this book ahead of the usual immigrant finding him/herself tale。 It is much more than that。 It is really a mix of literary fiction， magical realism， LGBTQ+， and historical fiction with a fairytale。I think the mix of genres is what is causing the wide swing in reviews。 If you enjoy unconventional stories， you will be enchanted by Thirty Names of Night。 It is filled with both genuine， and genuinely uncomfortable， scenes。 4 stars！Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Nancy Carey
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This is a very unique book about a trans man who is coping with the loss of his mother and also coming out as a trans man。 There also is a bit of a mystery to it as he tries to find an artist that his mother followed when she was alive。 It is a very lyrical book， rich with imagery。 There is a lot of bird imagery and body imagery as he navigates his feelings about his own body。 There is also an immigrant narrative， we learn about the New York neighborhood of Little Syria。 There is a lot going on， This is a very unique book about a trans man who is coping with the loss of his mother and also coming out as a trans man。 There also is a bit of a mystery to it as he tries to find an artist that his mother followed when she was alive。 It is a very lyrical book， rich with imagery。 There is a lot of bird imagery and body imagery as he navigates his feelings about his own body。 There is also an immigrant narrative， we learn about the New York neighborhood of Little Syria。 There is a lot going on， and it took me a long time to read， though I enjoyed it。 It is a very thought provoking book。 The author is a trans man and I believe is also Arabic so it is an own voices story。 I am glad to have read this book。 I do not think I have read anything else like it。 I received a complimentary copy through the publisher from Netgalley。 。。。more
Melissa
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Overall， I thought this was a very interesting book and one that I'm glad that exists （I mean， how many Syrian refugee/ LGBT/ magical realism books are out there？）， but I did find it hard to get into and hard to stay interested。 Could be just what you're looking for though。
Emily Ryan
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“I think to myself， It is terrifying to be visible， and then I think， I have been waiting all my life to be seen。”Absolutely beautiful writing！ I equally adored each storyline - which extends well beyond the main characters to their Syrian community and supportive LGBTQ peers & friends。 The writing is very tender， honest， and thought provoking。 The author does an impressive job of developing two storylines that intersect surrounding the premise of solving the mystery of an unidentified bird spec “I think to myself， It is terrifying to be visible， and then I think， I have been waiting all my life to be seen。”Absolutely beautiful writing！ I equally adored each storyline - which extends well beyond the main characters to their Syrian community and supportive LGBTQ peers & friends。 The writing is very tender， honest， and thought provoking。 The author does an impressive job of developing two storylines that intersect surrounding the premise of solving the mystery of an unidentified bird species that became so meaningful for multiple families amidst the demolition of their immigrant housing community。I saved many quotes & ideas that made beautiful commentary on change/life in general and that made me very thankful to better understand the perspective of others。 I highly recommend this read！*Thank you Atria via Netgalley for an advance copy for an opportunity to read early & review* 。。。more
Rachelle
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The Thirty Names of Night is a beautiful， moving story about identity， history， and migrations。Told through two different POVs， one a closeted Syrian American trans boy in present day NYC mourning the loss of his mother and the other a Syrian American female artist who disappeared 60 years ago， both characters gradually come to terms with their own identity in a world that does not with to recognize them or their loves。 Birds are woven throughout the story， both as a way to show mourning and rem The Thirty Names of Night is a beautiful， moving story about identity， history， and migrations。Told through two different POVs， one a closeted Syrian American trans boy in present day NYC mourning the loss of his mother and the other a Syrian American female artist who disappeared 60 years ago， both characters gradually come to terms with their own identity in a world that does not with to recognize them or their loves。 Birds are woven throughout the story， both as a way to show mourning and remembrance and a magical hope for the future。 The birds' migrations are mirrored by the people's， as they leave Syria looking for a better life in America 。。。more
Maureen Tumenas
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Thanks To NetGalley and Atria Books for the preview copy。 This novel took me a bit to get into。 The story seemed to be about birds， then it seemed to be about prejudice and anti-arab sentiment in the US， then it seemed to be about LGBTQ。。。and then I just got into the story and the characters。 One piece that stuck with me was this "I think to myself， It is terrifying to be visible， and then I think， I have been waiting all my life to be seen。" This sort of summed it up for me， for the women who w Thanks To NetGalley and Atria Books for the preview copy。 This novel took me a bit to get into。 The story seemed to be about birds， then it seemed to be about prejudice and anti-arab sentiment in the US， then it seemed to be about LGBTQ。。。and then I just got into the story and the characters。 One piece that stuck with me was this "I think to myself， It is terrifying to be visible， and then I think， I have been waiting all my life to be seen。" This sort of summed it up for me， for the women who were invisible， for the search for the new species of bird， for the search for the print， for one another。 。。。more
Marzie
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Trying to summarize this novel would be futile because any attempt wouldn't capture the lyrical nature of Joukhadar's writing， or his seemingly effortless ability， as in his first novel， A Map of Salt and Stars to find connections or mirrors between past and present， but I'll give it a shot。With The Thirty Names of Night Zeyn Joukhadar confirms his standing as a powerful Arab American writer。 In a layered and luminous novel， Joukhadar gives voice to multiple generations living the Arab immig Trying to summarize this novel would be futile because any attempt wouldn't capture the lyrical nature of Joukhadar's writing， or his seemingly effortless ability， as in his first novel， A Map of Salt and Stars to find connections or mirrors between past and present， but I'll give it a shot。With The Thirty Names of Night Zeyn Joukhadar confirms his standing as a powerful Arab American writer。 In a layered and luminous novel， Joukhadar gives voice to multiple generations living the Arab immigrant experience， to queer voices， and the power of names。 Equal parts historical fiction， ghost story， and an account of the obsessive search for rare birds that only birders can fully appreciate， The Thirty Names of Night gives us a protagonist on the cusp of transformation。 Five years after the untimely death of his ornithologist mother， a closeted transboy， an artist who is visited nightly by his mother's ghost， follows an owl and comes across the diary of Laila Z。， a painter whose images of birds were his mother's favorite。 The treasured diary sends him on a journey that ultimately helps him express his authentic self， and pursue the mystery of Laila Z。， a woman who lived a secret life as well。This is a rich and multi-faceted story woven with a thread of folklore。 The rare bird that is central to this story is linked by its name Geronticus simurghus to the Simurgh， a mythical bird mentioned in Sufi poetry。 The Simurgh is used as a metaphor for God in Sufi writings and is also akin to a phoenix in Iranian folklore。 Here signified by an ibis-like bird， both the protagonist's mother and Laila Z。 saw the same rare creatures。 As a metaphor for seeing God， seeing the truth， this is a beautiful way of bringing about one's own truth， of Nadir's choosing his name。This novel is just filled with lyricism， life， and the undying nature of love。 。。。more
Kristina Joukhadar
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As a 60-something white CIS woman and single parent， who has spent my adult life fighting against the forces of darkness that tried to limit me and label me， The Thirty Names of Night has been a mind changing and consciousness expanding book。 It has helped me better comprehend the struggles and also the triumphs of those whose journeys are far more complicated and difficult than mine。 It has also opened my mind to the history of those who came before - history I didn't understand， and had always As a 60-something white CIS woman and single parent， who has spent my adult life fighting against the forces of darkness that tried to limit me and label me， The Thirty Names of Night has been a mind changing and consciousness expanding book。 It has helped me better comprehend the struggles and also the triumphs of those whose journeys are far more complicated and difficult than mine。 It has also opened my mind to the history of those who came before - history I didn't understand， and had always questioned。I highly recommend The Thirty Names to everyone who wants to better understand the deeper， more personal meanings of sex， gender， equality， love， and what it means to be a caring， thinking human in our modern world。 It made me laugh， it made me cry， but most of all， it made me think！ It is through writing like this that we can hopefully break through the limitations of the labels we put on each other - and go on to achieve true equality for us all。 。。。more
Bam cooks the books ;-）
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'I have been waiting all my life to be seen。'This is the story of three generations of Arab-Americans told through two timelines and through the experiences of a young trans man and a talented artist named Laila。 Their two stories are intertwined in the novel， joined by their love for art and ornithology。 The book is beautifully written with fascinating， heart-breaking characters。 Joukhadar writes about the Arab-American experience but also about finding one's personal identity。 'I am a fool。 I 'I have been waiting all my life to be seen。'This is the story of three generations of Arab-Americans told through two timelines and through the experiences of a young trans man and a talented artist named Laila。 Their two stories are intertwined in the novel， joined by their love for art and ornithology。 The book is beautifully written with fascinating， heart-breaking characters。 Joukhadar writes about the Arab-American experience but also about finding one's personal identity。 'I am a fool。 I spent so many years feeling alone， not knowing how to ask the right questions。 Even now， if I admit that I have spent a lifetime denying myself， I will also have to grieve the time I lost trying to become someone else。' There is much going on in this novel， including a bit of mystery and romance and a touch of magical realism。 I received an arc of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 Many thanks。 。。。more
Sierra
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"In one corner of the room are an array of small prints of the birds with gold foil laid painstakingly into individual feathers。 This is not a room; it is a menagerie， and standing in the midst of it， I am one of its birds。 Beside me at the door， Qamar is weeping， and I am trembling like a person in snow。 One day， someone will try to explain us as they once tried to explain this， and they will not have the words。"I am wordless。 This book is wonderful。 It is intricate and devastating and delightf "In one corner of the room are an array of small prints of the birds with gold foil laid painstakingly into individual feathers。 This is not a room; it is a menagerie， and standing in the midst of it， I am one of its birds。 Beside me at the door， Qamar is weeping， and I am trembling like a person in snow。 One day， someone will try to explain us as they once tried to explain this， and they will not have the words。"I am wordless。 This book is wonderful。 It is intricate and devastating and delightful， as it traces the stories of Nadir and Laila and reveals hidden histories of transness and queerness。 Transcendent。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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Know in advance that you might feel a bit at sea periodically in this tale of a young man and his mother， both of whom are searching for their own place in a confusing world。 Set largely in the little Syria section of New York it moves back and forth in time between the narrator and Laila， the artist whose diary he has discovered。 His mother， an ornithologist， died five years ago; Laila was her favorite artist because she was an expect at painting birds， a recurrent theme。 I'm not sure if there Know in advance that you might feel a bit at sea periodically in this tale of a young man and his mother， both of whom are searching for their own place in a confusing world。 Set largely in the little Syria section of New York it moves back and forth in time between the narrator and Laila， the artist whose diary he has discovered。 His mother， an ornithologist， died five years ago; Laila was her favorite artist because she was an expect at painting birds， a recurrent theme。 I'm not sure if there isn't too much happening （and yet not much at all）- there's the issues facing trans people， immigrants， lost parents， love and so on。 It's not an easy read by any means but there's some gorgeous imagery and lovely writing。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 For fans of literary fiction。 。。。more
sarah
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thank you to libro。fm for providing me with an early audiobook copy of this EXTRAORDINARY story！ this book tackles so many topics and it does it with so much grace， weaving our main character’s coming out process with stories of the past。 it talks about transphobia， gentrification， connection， religion， racism， queer love， and birds。 i can’t recommend this book enough- be fully prepared to feel all the feelings。 while the audiobook is done very well and i loved the narration， i feel like i misse thank you to libro。fm for providing me with an early audiobook copy of this EXTRAORDINARY story！ this book tackles so many topics and it does it with so much grace， weaving our main character’s coming out process with stories of the past。 it talks about transphobia， gentrification， connection， religion， racism， queer love， and birds。 i can’t recommend this book enough- be fully prepared to feel all the feelings。 while the audiobook is done very well and i loved the narration， i feel like i missed some bits of the story and wish i had read it physically。 。。。more
Emily
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The language is gorgeous and detailed， but the storytelling is very confusing。 There are a lot of tangents and interior monologue， and it feels uneven。
Liz Wine
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Note: I received a netgalley ARC， all opinions are my own。I never thought I would find a book that combines my favorite things: LGBTQ+ characters， well written historical fiction， diverse characters with stories that span the globe。 I will be honest， at first I struggled to get into the book but then I became hooked and couldn’t stop reading。
Traci
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The Thirty Names of Night is one of those oddly-niche books that took me on a small internet scavenger hunt because I was curious to know if it was ownvoices before I read it。 Thankfully， it is。 It follows a trans Syrian-American boy who lives in Brooklyn as he cares for his grandma after the death of his mother five years ago。 He sees his mother’s ghost， and since her death， he’s not able to paint。 She was an ornithologist， and he gets caught up in a diary of another Syrian immigrant who found The Thirty Names of Night is one of those oddly-niche books that took me on a small internet scavenger hunt because I was curious to know if it was ownvoices before I read it。 Thankfully， it is。 It follows a trans Syrian-American boy who lives in Brooklyn as he cares for his grandma after the death of his mother five years ago。 He sees his mother’s ghost， and since her death， he’s not able to paint。 She was an ornithologist， and he gets caught up in a diary of another Syrian immigrant who found a rare bird that his mother was also looking for， and in the process finds a trans community and the courage to change his name and come out。 I really enjoyed this。 Yes， there’s a lot happening but it’s not all that hard to follow， you just have to pay attention。 And I didn’t find that hard to do since I genuinely enjoyed the story and found a good learning opportunity as I went along （this is wildly outside of my own experience so I hung on every word！） My one criticism of this novel is that it’s written in present tense and that， for whatever reason， rarely works for me。 I feel like I’m always waiting for the author to accidentally slip into past tense and I have a hard time falling into the story when it’s written in present tense。Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book！ I look forward to more by this author。 I learned a lot about cultures and experiences that aren’t my own in a very pleasant way and I feel comfortable in the idea that I can trust the narrative to not be harmful。 。。。more
David V。
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Received from the publisher。 Started 11-11-20。
J。 A。
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Interview forthcoming at Ploughshares。
Jade
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I put off starting this book for too long because I knew that once I started it I wouldn’t be able to stop， and I knew that all too soon it would be over， and I would be left craving more。 I absolutely loved Zeyn Joukhadar’s first novel The Map of Salt and Stars， it still haunts me today， the parallel storylines， the epic descriptions， the words that made my heart hurt， and fly at the same time。 So obviously I was overjoyed when I saw that his second novel would be released this year。 And it is I put off starting this book for too long because I knew that once I started it I wouldn’t be able to stop， and I knew that all too soon it would be over， and I would be left craving more。 I absolutely loved Zeyn Joukhadar’s first novel The Map of Salt and Stars， it still haunts me today， the parallel storylines， the epic descriptions， the words that made my heart hurt， and fly at the same time。 So obviously I was overjoyed when I saw that his second novel would be released this year。 And it is just as beautiful， just as heartbreaking， and just as epic as his first， all the while completely different。 The Thirty Names of Night is going to be my number one favorite read this year， just like The Map of Salt and Stars was my favorite of 2018 （and 2019 because I read it again last year）。 The Thirty Names of Night is ultimately a story of discovery and self-acceptance。 I don’t want to give it all away in my review， but it’s hard to describe the overall storyline without telling part of the plot。 It is the story of Nadir， a young person of Syrian descent， whose mother’s death in a fire five years before still haunts him （so much that he constantly sees her ghost in his daily life）。 Nadir’s mother was an ornithologist who documented rare Northern American birds， and who had been trying to convince others of her sighting of a bird so rare that barely anyone believed it existed。 Woven into Nadir’s story is also the story of Laila Z， brilliant artist of birds， Syrian immigrant to the US in the early 20th century， who disappeared 40 years earlier never to be seen again。 Nadir makes it his mission to uncover the mystery of the bird， thereby keeping his mother’s spirit close， and in doing so discovers the secrets of Laila Z’s life and disappearance。 But the overall arch to this story is Nadir’s transformation and self-acceptance， at first hiding the body that doesn’t represent what he feels inside， and then finally ready to accept who he really is。There is so much depth in each story， and every detail matters， right down to the names of each character: how names carry importance， whether they are our personal choice or that of another。 I love how the author describes the setting， each description reminds me of my own life in NYC， walking， smelling， hearing… Zeyn Joukhadar has this amazing ability to paint a moving picture with words， weaving past， present and different characters together， to create these beautifully deep and real stories that don’t leave you。 Birds are such a huge， integral part of this book， and I love how they appear everywhere， porters of messages， of hope， of healing， of secrets。 On a personal level birds amaze me， and I have spent a lot of time over the past 8 months observing them from my balcony， so their symbolism in the novel added yet another depth to it for me。 Just absolutely beautiful。I cannot recommend this story enough， it captured my heart。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 And thank you so much to Zeyn Joukhadar for writing such epic， beautiful， timeless， and timely stories。 。。。more
Susie Dumond
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As a Syrian American trans man marks the fifth anniversary of his mother’s death， he decides it’s time to leave his birth name behind and search for a new name。 In searching for himself， he also discovers more information about the strange birds his mother died trying to save—and the queer history of his own family and community。It's so amazing to read multiple queer stories from different times and places woven together。 Joukhadar's beautiful prose conveys how freeing it is to live as yourself， As a Syrian American trans man marks the fifth anniversary of his mother’s death， he decides it’s time to leave his birth name behind and search for a new name。 In searching for himself， he also discovers more information about the strange birds his mother died trying to save—and the queer history of his own family and community。It's so amazing to read multiple queer stories from different times and places woven together。 Joukhadar's beautiful prose conveys how freeing it is to live as yourself， even if the world tries to stop you。 My only struggle with this book is that there is SO MUCH going on between the various timelines， metaphors， and histories， and the two different narrative voices are similar enough to make it a little hard to follow at times。 Regardless， this is a story that needs to be told， and I'm so grateful that Zeyn Joukhadar chose to tell it。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Shomeret
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When the publisher e-mailed me about The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar， the summary they provided indicated that there are several themes of interest to me。 Prominent characters who are artists were an added inducement。 So I accepted a free copy from the publisher via Net Galley and agreed to review it。 My research on Zeyn Joukhadar allowed me to establish that the story of the Syrian American trans male protagonist in The Thirty Names of Night is an Own Voices narrative。 I was very m When the publisher e-mailed me about The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar， the summary they provided indicated that there are several themes of interest to me。 Prominent characters who are artists were an added inducement。 So I accepted a free copy from the publisher via Net Galley and agreed to review it。 My research on Zeyn Joukhadar allowed me to establish that the story of the Syrian American trans male protagonist in The Thirty Names of Night is an Own Voices narrative。 I was very moved by the journey of the protagonist to find his identity。 At a more fundamental level， The Thirty Names of Night caused me to reflect on the nature of personal histories。 It isn't just about one individual。 It's the story of a family whether it be a genetic family or a chosen one， and the story of a community。 All these lives overlap and gain significance from their connections。 That's what I saw in this book。In the end， The Thirty Names of Night is a unique paean to diversity--diversity of gender， diversity of culture and diversity of aspirations。 For my complete review see https://shomeretmasked。blogspot。com/2。。。 。。。more
Dorothy Tracey
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A complex story about connections and self-acceptance。 The overall story is lovely and I was exposed to history of Syria and Syrian culture。 The writing for much of the book was lyrical and captivating。 However， there were many times that there was just too much going on， the story too broad， and I found myself skimming through sections。 This book had many difficult words that were in Arabic and no way to understand the meanings。 So if reading a physical copy of this book （and possibly the Kindl A complex story about connections and self-acceptance。 The overall story is lovely and I was exposed to history of Syria and Syrian culture。 The writing for much of the book was lyrical and captivating。 However， there were many times that there was just too much going on， the story too broad， and I found myself skimming through sections。 This book had many difficult words that were in Arabic and no way to understand the meanings。 So if reading a physical copy of this book （and possibly the Kindle）， there's no way to look up the meaning of these words。 It just left me feeling like there were areas that I wasn't sure I had caught the full meaning or intent of the story because I would get hung up on the words。It may be worthwhile for me to listen to it when it is released so that I can try and immerse myself into the storyline from a different perspective。Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for an advanced digital copy of this book for my honest review 。。。more
Jensen
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Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC！The Thirty Names of Night follows a twenty-something Syrian-American trans person trying to navigate their family life， grief， and their own identity， as they also embark on a mission to track down a coveted missing painting by an extremely mysterious artist。 It’s so hard to give an accurate summary of what this book is about， because it covers so much ground。 At times， I almost found it to be a bit too much and found the story Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC！The Thirty Names of Night follows a twenty-something Syrian-American trans person trying to navigate their family life， grief， and their own identity， as they also embark on a mission to track down a coveted missing painting by an extremely mysterious artist。 It’s so hard to give an accurate summary of what this book is about， because it covers so much ground。 At times， I almost found it to be a bit too much and found the story hard to follow and the characters difficult to connect with。 But， something really shifted for me around halfway through the book， and I was COMPLETELY sucked in。 My favourite thing about this book was the absolutely gorgeous writing。 It was so enjoyable to read and I found myself constantly highlighting particularly beautiful passages。 I will definitely be keeping a close eye on this writer in the future！ 。。。more
DeAnn
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3。5 avian starsI picked this one up because I really enjoyed the author’s first book “The Map of Salt and Tears。” This book has the same lyrical quality but otherwise is difficult to describe。 I did enjoy learning more about Syrian Americans。This book is set in New York and features a trans boy who is uncomfortable in his body and identity。 His mother died five years before and he still sees her ghost everywhere。 There are so many birds in this book！ I’m not sure if they were all real birds or i 3。5 avian starsI picked this one up because I really enjoyed the author’s first book “The Map of Salt and Tears。” This book has the same lyrical quality but otherwise is difficult to describe。 I did enjoy learning more about Syrian Americans。This book is set in New York and features a trans boy who is uncomfortable in his body and identity。 His mother died five years before and he still sees her ghost everywhere。 There are so many birds in this book！ I’m not sure if they were all real birds or if some were mythical。 There are a multitude of characters as well and several subplots that got to be a bit complicated to follow。 There are themes of hate crimes， gentrification， and identity in this one。There’s a side story of the journal of Laila， a Syrian American artist who has disappeared。 We read along with Laila’s journal and wonder what might have happened to her and all her art。 There’s a connection to the other storyline in the book and I thought it wrapped up well at the end。 This was definitely a different read。Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the copy of this one to read and review。 。。。more
Ian
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Okay。 I'm going to hop up on a soapbox for this review， but I would first just like to say my thanks to the publisher （Atria Books） for an early copy of this book。Soapbox time: If this were by & about straight White women， this book would be an instant bestseller， and the paperback would likely end up on your curated grocery store bookshelf list。 Joukhadar has written something I know will hit home for fans of Mary Oliver， Barbara Kingsolver， & Kristin Hannah， and it really pisses me off to feel Okay。 I'm going to hop up on a soapbox for this review， but I would first just like to say my thanks to the publisher （Atria Books） for an early copy of this book。Soapbox time: If this were by & about straight White women， this book would be an instant bestseller， and the paperback would likely end up on your curated grocery store bookshelf list。 Joukhadar has written something I know will hit home for fans of Mary Oliver， Barbara Kingsolver， & Kristin Hannah， and it really pisses me off to feel confident in saying that because it is an immigrant story about peoples from the Middle East and is so unapologetically Queer it will likely get very little coverage。Now is this book going to hit my favorites of the year？ Likely not。 I find the authors listed above to be a little schmaltzy， and I felt the same way for me which led to a lack of full resonation in my reading experience。 I also thought the ending didn't quite come full circle。 But I DO know a lot of people would love this book if given a chance to find it and a willingness to pick it up。There WERE a lot of things I loved about this book， chief among them the overwhelming Queer representation of the novel。 I also found Zeyn to just be an incredibly kind， gentle， conscientious writer who makes sure to show a love and gentleness to all historically marginalized groups。 Zeyn also taught me a lot about the migration from the Middle East， namely Syrian migration to America， that I did not know， and I am very grateful。Everyone should buy this book。 Most of all because it comes out on election day， and I want Trump to be sent out of the White House at the same time that a Queer immigrant story rooted in Middle Eastern heritage hits the bestseller chart。Rating: 4/5 。。。more
Laura
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I don't have the words for how much I loved this book。 It is a breathtaking story about queer survival and celebration and love。 This is the kind of book I crave with my whole being and so rarely ever get。Here are some of the things that made me weep when this novel was over: It's a book that allows its queer characters to soar， to love， to exist， to survive， to thrive。 It is not without queer suffering by any means。 And a lot of it was physically painful for me to read， especially the intimate I don't have the words for how much I loved this book。 It is a breathtaking story about queer survival and celebration and love。 This is the kind of book I crave with my whole being and so rarely ever get。Here are some of the things that made me weep when this novel was over: It's a book that allows its queer characters to soar， to love， to exist， to survive， to thrive。 It is not without queer suffering by any means。 And a lot of it was physically painful for me to read， especially the intimate first person narration where you're deep in heart and mind of a trans man who is in the process of coming out。 But。。。it is so hard for me to articulate this， maybe because it is so close to my heart， but I'm going to try。 Queer characters in fiction are so rarely allowed to just be。 To just be， whether they're living in present day New York， or 1930s New York， or 1920s Syria， or any other place or time on the planet。 This is especially true in historical fiction。 It's so rare to find a book where queer characters living in homophobic and transphobic times and places aren't punished， in some way， for their queerness。 It's as if we're somehow under the impression that the lives of all queer and trans people alive before 1969 revolved exclusively around queerphobia。 It's an exhausting， limiting， narrow-minded way to think about the complexity of queer experiences。 What Joukhadar does is broaden the lens。 He imagines full， complicated， varied lives for queer people across many decades。 He doesn't make their lives small by making their lives only about suffering。 He also doesn't erase their suffering。 His queer characters are messy， imperfect humans whose lives are sometimes impossible， sometimes joyful， full of heartbreak and loss and despair and love and comfort and the body deep relief that comes from being seen and understood。 Reading this book was like having something continually opening inside me。 I am going to be thinking about it for years。I don't think it's giving anything away to say that queer people in this book survive。 I suspect some people are going to find the ending too neat or simple。 But I think it's worth giving that interpretation of this ending a long， hard look。 I think that we are very quick to equate happy/hopeful/uplifting/joyful endings of queer books with simplicity， or unbelievability。 I think readers are often inclined not to trust serious queer books with hopeful endings。 There's an idea （and I don't have evidence for this， it's just a sense） that a queer book that deals with trauma， suffering， loss， etc。 and has a happy ending is somehow a trick。 Is somehow lesser， is somehow not real。 I haven't read A LITTLE LIFE yet， but I know something about how it ends， and I feel pretty confident that that has something to do with why people love it so much。 I'm not saying that a queer book can't have a sad ending and be great。 I have read and loved plenty of tragic queer books。 But I think it's worth interrogating why we so often expect a book like this， for example， to have an ending that is not unambiguously happy。 I felt the same way reading reviews of PATSY that mentioned the neatness of the ending。 I think it's an example of the way that queerphobia and transphobia show up in the literary world。 And I suspect it is even more pronounced in books by and about queer people of color。There are a thousand more things I could say about this book。 The beauty of the writing， the vividness of the characters， the little bits of almost-but-maybe-not-quite magic scattered throughout。 It's the kind of book that my queer heart dreams of， and reading it was an absolute gift。 。。。more
Liz
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3。5 stars， rounded upIt’s hard to describe this book。 As others have said， there’s a lot going on here。 A closeted trans Syrian American boy in America discovers the journal of a Syrian American artist and discovers a link with his dead mother。 This is a lush， beautifully written book。 We hear from two different narrators。 The trans young man， whose chapters initially have the name crossed out， is haunted by his dead mother。 His mother， who was an ornithologist， was trying to find a bird others 3。5 stars， rounded upIt’s hard to describe this book。 As others have said， there’s a lot going on here。 A closeted trans Syrian American boy in America discovers the journal of a Syrian American artist and discovers a link with his dead mother。 This is a lush， beautifully written book。 We hear from two different narrators。 The trans young man， whose chapters initially have the name crossed out， is haunted by his dead mother。 His mother， who was an ornithologist， was trying to find a bird others swore didn’t exist。 Laila Z， the artist whose journal he finds， is the second narrator。 A painter of birds， a female Syrian Audubon。 She’s been missing for 60 years。 We learn of her time during the depression and into the 50s。 We also learn of the histories of trans and queer people in the Syrian community through the years。 And binding it all together are the birds。 The birds - observed， raised， dreamed of and painted。 Birds that are now showing up in droves in NYC。 There’s an element of surrealism here and at times I wasn’t sure what was real or imagined or dreamed。 Among other mysteries in the book， the unnamed young man is searching for a missing aquatint made by Laila of the same birds his mother sought。 I appreciated the way Joukhardar captures how he views his female body and wants to be seen as a body of light。 Given that Joukhardar has also recently identified as male rather than female， it seems especially honest and almost autobiographical。 This is a book to be savored not rushed through。 More than once， I had to re-read sections。 I will admit to being confused more than once as I read。 My thanks to netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Daina （Dai2DaiReader）
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