I got it right away after you first mentioned it and read it immediately. Honestly, it’s probably one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read—haha—I don’t even know where to begin... so maybe it’s best I leave it at that.
What I really loved about the book—and I actually mentioned this to Ochuko in the comments—was how refreshing it was to see a POC author not limit herself to writing solely about racism or, in Yasmin’s case, only about the conflict in her country. With everything happening to Palestinian people, it’s easy to expect or even confine artists and writers to focus solely on the conflict.
But I loved that, while she briefly touches on those themes, she ultimately just went wild and wrote a book as crazy and unique as she wanted it to be. That’s exactly how it felt to me. It’s like abstract art—but in book form—something you’ll either love or hate, understand or not. She wasn’t trying to please everyone, and that made it all the more bold.
we are so aligned because this is what I LOVED about it as well. this is what I love to see in POC stories. thats also why I loved Entitlement, I think. like those topics are there, but there are explored through other conflicts in the narrator's life
I’m sure you know some of these already! But jumping in to suggest some authors off the top of my head whose work I’d rec exploring: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Elaine Castillo, Fatima Bhutto, Candice Carty-Williams, Diana Evans, Taiye Selasi, Raven Leilani, Zadie Smith, Bryan Washington, Natasha Brown, Kaveh Akhbar, Ocean Vuong, Paul Mendez, Laila Lalami, Mohsin Hamid, V. V. Ganashananthan, Marlon James, Kiley Reid, Leila Slïmani. (I haven’t listed them by novel as most of them have written more than one book—but can suggest individual books if there’s a specific author you are interested in)
OMG, amazing! I totally missed this message. I’m really looking forward to diving deeper into the list. Thank you so much, Pandora! Wishing you a wonderful day! 😊✨
I also didn't "like" this book but I'm glad I read it. (I also don't think this book was written to be "liked"). I thought the coin, a shekel, was a symbol of Israel's occupation of Palestine and the havoc it is committing, the same way the shekel, which is an Israeli coin, completely takes over her body, her mind, and no matter how much she tries to rid herself of it, it's still there.
Thoroughly enjoyed this discussion. The Coin has been on my TBR since it was released and I have hesitated, not particularly drawn in… until now. Looking forward to more of these.
I do love an unhinged narrator especially when it's a woman of color so I was into this although very confused by it. I'm glad someone else pointed out it's really not about the Birkins, somewhat misleading marketing copy 🙄although it worked in my favor as I was far more interested in her NYC self contained world
The 'I didn't like it but I'm glad I read it' consensus is the most powerful endorsement honestly
I’ve been trying to figure out if the opposite verdict—“I liked it but I’m not glad I read it”—could ever be true
I got it right away after you first mentioned it and read it immediately. Honestly, it’s probably one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read—haha—I don’t even know where to begin... so maybe it’s best I leave it at that.
What I really loved about the book—and I actually mentioned this to Ochuko in the comments—was how refreshing it was to see a POC author not limit herself to writing solely about racism or, in Yasmin’s case, only about the conflict in her country. With everything happening to Palestinian people, it’s easy to expect or even confine artists and writers to focus solely on the conflict.
But I loved that, while she briefly touches on those themes, she ultimately just went wild and wrote a book as crazy and unique as she wanted it to be. That’s exactly how it felt to me. It’s like abstract art—but in book form—something you’ll either love or hate, understand or not. She wasn’t trying to please everyone, and that made it all the more bold.
we are so aligned because this is what I LOVED about it as well. this is what I love to see in POC stories. thats also why I loved Entitlement, I think. like those topics are there, but there are explored through other conflicts in the narrator's life
I started reading "Entitlement" yesterday after your recommendation 🥰 Any other favorite POC reads?
I’m sure you know some of these already! But jumping in to suggest some authors off the top of my head whose work I’d rec exploring: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Elaine Castillo, Fatima Bhutto, Candice Carty-Williams, Diana Evans, Taiye Selasi, Raven Leilani, Zadie Smith, Bryan Washington, Natasha Brown, Kaveh Akhbar, Ocean Vuong, Paul Mendez, Laila Lalami, Mohsin Hamid, V. V. Ganashananthan, Marlon James, Kiley Reid, Leila Slïmani. (I haven’t listed them by novel as most of them have written more than one book—but can suggest individual books if there’s a specific author you are interested in)
OMG, amazing! I totally missed this message. I’m really looking forward to diving deeper into the list. Thank you so much, Pandora! Wishing you a wonderful day! 😊✨
This is so perfectly said, and exactly how I felt about this book, too! The comparison to abstract art is really insightful
Aww thank you, Kristen 🫶🏼
I also didn't "like" this book but I'm glad I read it. (I also don't think this book was written to be "liked"). I thought the coin, a shekel, was a symbol of Israel's occupation of Palestine and the havoc it is committing, the same way the shekel, which is an Israeli coin, completely takes over her body, her mind, and no matter how much she tries to rid herself of it, it's still there.
okay this is so smart and makes absolute sense!! Thank you
Wow this is smart. Thanks for pointing out the connection
Oh this is brilliant thank you
Thoroughly enjoyed this discussion. The Coin has been on my TBR since it was released and I have hesitated, not particularly drawn in… until now. Looking forward to more of these.
would love to know how you found it!
So excited about this and looking forward to more!
thanks kiran we are already excited for the next one <3
I do love an unhinged narrator especially when it's a woman of color so I was into this although very confused by it. I'm glad someone else pointed out it's really not about the Birkins, somewhat misleading marketing copy 🙄although it worked in my favor as I was far more interested in her NYC self contained world