I loved the Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lifteri and was looking forward to reading Songbirds. In short, I had high expectations going in and I wasn't disappointed. The book was elegantly written with a lyrical prose and vivid imagery which made me quickly invested in the characters and helped me easily visualise the landscape of Cyprus.
The plot revolves around finding a missing person, Nisha who is a foreign domestic worker from Sri Lanka. It follows the point of views of Petra and Yiannis in both past and present perspectives. The story was enlightening; it provided a glimpse into the often harrowing and difficult lives of migrants. It makes us reflect on our privilege and life of relative comfort by depicting the painful events people go through just to survive and feel even a modicum of safety.
My only criticism is that the pacing of the book (especially at the beginning) is a bit slow. Also, it would have been nice to get Nisha's point of view at one point. Although the book is slow burn, the ending and overall story is absolutely worth it. I highly recommend, if you loved The Beekeeper of Aleppo, you'll probably love this too!
The plot revolves around finding a missing person, Nisha who is a foreign domestic worker from Sri Lanka. It follows the point of views of Petra and Yiannis in both past and present perspectives. The story was enlightening; it provided a glimpse into the often harrowing and difficult lives of migrants. It makes us reflect on our privilege and life of relative comfort by depicting the painful events people go through just to survive and feel even a modicum of safety.
My only criticism is that the pacing of the book (especially at the beginning) is a bit slow. Also, it would have been nice to get Nisha's point of view at one point. Although the book is slow burn, the ending and overall story is absolutely worth it. I highly recommend, if you loved The Beekeeper of Aleppo, you'll probably love this too!