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Winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize* Fiction Winner of the Arab American Book Award * A Finalist for the Chautauqua Prize * Longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize * An NPR Best Book of 2017* One of NYLON's Best Fiction Books of 2017 * One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2017 * One of Bustle's 17 Best Fiction Books of 2017 * One of BookPage's Best Books of 2017 * An Indie Next Pick —
“Moving and beautifully written, Alyan’s debut chronicles three generations of a Palestinian family as they face two life-altering displacements – the first after 1967’s Six-Day War, and the second following Saddam Hussein’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Spring's most powerful novel...mystical, compelling...sweeping.” — Town & Country
"[Salt Houses] illustrate[s] the inherited longing and sense of dislocation passed like a baton from mother to daughter." — New York Times Book Review
“Some family stories we pass on, adding chapters like rooms to a house; others are burned into our subconscious. Poet Hala Alyan's ambitious debut novel, Salt Houses follows the scattered generations of one Palestinian family for whom 'nostalgia is an affliction,' moving from the Six-Day War and a future glimpsed in a daughter's lipsticked coffee cup, to 9/11 and its aftermath.” — Vogue
“Alyan is doing important work through this novel...Salt Houses can be read very simply as a family drama, proving Alyan’s talent as a master of both the family drama genre as well as the depths and complexities of the Palestinian displacement.” — Los Angeles Review of Books
"What does home mean when you no longer have a house – or a homeland? This beautiful novel traces one Palestinian family's struggle with that question and how it can haunt generations. Hala Alyan's own family history – for years, she felt as if she belonged nowhere – clearly informed her book, but her professional life as a clinical psychologist who has worked with refugee clients plays a part too. Along with another favorite from this year – Mohsin Hamid's Exit West – this is an example of how fiction is often the best filter for the real world around us." — NPR
"Read Salt Houses...In Hala Alyan's novel about a Palestinian family in the aftermath of the Six-Day War, children rebel and return and the matriarch's memories fade with age, fraying the brood's ties to their homeland. In the process, the book reveals the inner lives of people too often lumped together in the service of politics." — New York
"Alyan explores the human agency in the face of the harshest realities without compromising the complex nature of the Palestinian diaspora. This is a heart-wrenching, intimate look at the intergenerational impact of losing a homeland." — Ms. magazine
"Gorgeous and sprawling...In many ways, Salt Houses is about the displacement of millions in war-ravaged lands. But more precisely, it's about the significance of 'home'— what it means to make a home, to lose it, and to go home again when nothing looks or feels the same...Heart-wrenching, lyrical and timely, Salt Houses is a humanizing examination of a family torn apart and remade by conflicts both too complex to grasp fully and too personal to not recognize in ourselves, wherever we might call home." — Dallas Morning News
"What happens when displacement enters your DNA? This is the questions that Alyan's brilliant debut novel both poses and answers, and—to borrow a heavily used phrase—it feels like one we particularly need to be asking ourselves right now...[Alyan is] an extraordinarily gifted novelist...[Salt Houses is] an epic in every sense of the word...[It] shines in its intimate details; notably, in the ways in which no character is allowed to be a stereotype, and in the way it grapples with those all too human-scaled experiences of alienation and belonging, displacement and rebuilding. Alyan might be grappling with universal problems like war and brutality, but since she renders them through the perspective of one family, through their personal triumphs and struggles, she keeps these issues on a recognizable scale." — NYLON, Best Fiction Books
"Each new chapter of Salt Houses shifts perspective and jumps in time...These perspectives touch back on each other through small details, fashioning a collective, familial history. One character’s revelations illuminate the life of another...Alyan’s talent is immediately apparent in her exquisitely detailed scenes and the complex ways her characters relate to one another...Alyan is also a poet, and the last pages of Salt Houses drop like the end of a poem—they crush the reader while also lifting her up...Narratives like this one complicate and humanize America’s simplistic view of Arab cultures, toppling the flimsy idea that Arab people are intractably Other." — The Rumpus
“In her debut novel, Alyan tells the story of a Palestinian family that is uprooted by the Six-Day War of 1967 and Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990. This heartbreaking and important story examines displacement, belonging, and family in a lyrical style.” — The Millions, “Most Anticipated"
“At the very start of Hala Alyan's novel Salt Houses, a woman buys a coffee set — a dozen cups, a coffee pot, a tray. It's a simple act that unexpectedly becomes painful . . . Alyan builds her story on little moments like that — a peek into the lives of several generations, forced to relocate and resettle. Her characters are lost and looking for a home.” — NPR, "Morning Edition"
“This sweeping family drama brings history to life by imagining events that befall a Palestinian family from 1963 to 2014. Buffeted by war and political turmoil — the Six-Day War in 1967, the invasion of Kuwait in 1990 — the family is constantly uprooted, forcing its members to adopt new cultures in Paris, Beirut and Boston. It's a lyrical exploration of identity.” — AARP
“Stunning...[Salt Houses] offers such a piercing examination of displacement, identity, faith, and what one character refers to as a lifetime of 'emotional code-switching.'” — Brooklyn Magazine
About the Author
Hala Alyan is the author of the novel Salt Houses, winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and the Arab American Book Award, and a finalist for the Chautauqua Prize. Her latest novel, The Arsonists’ City, was a finalist for the Aspen Words Literary Prize. She is also the author of five highly acclaimed collections of poetry, including The Twenty-Ninth Year. Her work has been published by The New Yorker, The Academy of American Poets, Literary Hub, The New York Times Book Review, and Guernica. She lives in Brooklyn with her family, where she works as a clinical psychologist and professor at New York University.
Review:
4.5 out of 5
89.09% of customers are satisfied
5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, Interesting, Insightful, Creative
Salt Houses is the story of a Palestinian family as they are repeatedly displaced by war, religion, opportunity, and politics. The story is engaging, and it is told in an unusual way with multiple points of view, multiple times, and multiple settings. Even with chapter headings that identify the point of view, the location, and the time, it usually took a paragraph or even a page until I felt oriented. I frequently had to flip back to the previous chapter so that I could figure out how much time had passed. I did not view it as a flaw, but it was different. The story spans more than 50 years. While the narrative begins in 1963, the story goes back even farther. Ms. Alyan does a skillful job of telling story that is both global and intensely personal. Leaving your country voluntarily is not the same as leaving under threat. So many areas of our world are being torn apart, and people are fleeing their homelands as we watch on television. This book gives insight into the impact that falls upon generations. She also makes a point of showing how different the experience is for people of means as opposed to people of limited resources. National identity, cultural identity, family ties, language and politics are all in play. Through the characters and the plot, we learn a lot about the experience for Palestinian refugees in Arab countries such as Iraq, Kuwait, and Lebanon and in Western cities like Paris, Boston, and New York. It is enlightening and interesting. The multiple points of view and jumps in narrative made it difficult to become fully vested in a character. I cared about them and could sympathize, but it did not invade my heart. This would be an excellent book group book for us. It is well written, told in a creative style and format and telling a story that will broaden our horizons. Knowing my book group, we would also find a great deal to talk about. I will not soon forget this book.
4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and poignant novel
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars"Atia remains too frightened to say anything that might unnerve him. What she knows about her husband, what she thought she knew about the man, has scattered like dandelion seeds beneath a child's breath since he returned from the war." Hala Alyan, Salt HousesFrom the breathtaking book cover to the magnificent writing, Salt Houses is an extraordinary novel and worthy of praise. Alyan is a gifted writer who brings us a realistic story of an upper-class Palestinian family's bond, and survival through war and displacement. Although I have never been to Nablus, Kuwait or Beirut, through Alyan's impressive descriptions, I felt I had. I was able to feel the joys and sorrows of Salma, Alia, Atef, and the rest of the Yacoub family. I also learned some history of Palestinian Arabs, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the Six-day War of 1967.I honestly cannot imagine having to abandon my home, possessions, and loved ones. Or if I had to move from country to country multiple times because of war, or fear of war. Without a doubt, displacement immobilizes countries involved in a civil conflict, and unfortunately, its citizens are the ones who suffer the most. Being displaced impacts an individual's life emotionally and physically. Salt Houses gives readers a candid look at the Yacoubs' despair and hope for a better life throughout four generations. As a reader, you also witness how the family tries to remain connected, and not lose their cultural origins; while trying to assimilate to all of the different countries. I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to gain a better understanding of the Palestinian diaspora.
3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read
I liked reading about this time in history.While the family drama was intriging, I found the constant descriptions of everyone's inner world was exhaustingto the point of distraction .
5.0 out of 5 stars View from the other side
I was raised as a Reform Jew and celebrated the big Jewish holidays, had shabbos dinner at my grandparents house, and heard a lot about the holocaust and the importance of Israel being the rightful Jewish homeland. All that being said, it always bothered me that Israel was not a Jewish state until 1948 and that other people were living there before they were "relocated". I don't like to read history, but I do like historical fiction and this book puts a new perspective the establishment of the state of Israel. The story starts in 1960's after Israel was established but before the expansion after the Six Day War. It is told over 40-50 years from the perspective from several generations of a Palestinian family - all of them imperfect human beings but human beings nonetheless. They do not suffer greatly but they do suffer as a result of the Jewish people's real need to have a homeland after being subjected to genocide in multiple countries and being rejected by other countries when they tried to leave. I did not like all of the people but I did benefit from seeing the impact of the establishment of the state of Israel from the perspective of the people who were displaced. The book is well written, the characters are well developed, and it is an interesting, but sometimes painful, story.
4.0 out of 5 stars Great writing but overall story could have been more concise and better developed
The writing is beautiful, but I found that the plot wasn’t going anywhere. There were too many characters to follow, and many of the characters did not develop within their mini stories. I was hoping to read more about the painful occupation, the nakba, and the continual oppression of Palestinians throughout generations…but this was a side element it seemed. There were so many characters that had no apparent purpose? I found myself skipping parts of the book near the end. I was a bit disappointed. So many characters yet none developed in depth, and there didn’t seem to be a “theme” or any sort of “climax”. If you’re searching for a book to humanize Palestinians for you (while also providing historical context), I would highly suggest Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa.
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly good
This is a very well-written and organized book that tells a painful story of people living though horrible times. It is incredibly relevant as the dangers faced by these characters are still very active.
Beautiful touching
What a beautiful story. So sad how war can change life of 3 generations.Highly recommend ❤️
Consigliato
Fantastico libro da leggere nel tempo libero
A story that stays with you
I finished this book a month ago and I keep thinking about it! A very powerful tale. <3
Happy:)
I still can't believe I got this book for only 199 rupees .. Although I ordered a used book but the condition of the book is good. I'm glad seller thank you ..
Couldn't finish the book
It starts slowly and after 100 pages, it doesn't pick up. The story is over dramatized.
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Salt Houses
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