All Our Names
Ratings4
Average rating3.5
15
Ratings4
Average rating3.5
Named a best book of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Daily Beast A sweeping, continent-spanning story about the love between men and women, between friends, and between citizens and their countries, All Our Names is a transfixing exploration of the relationships that define us. Fleeing war-torn Uganda for the American Midwest, Isaac begins a passionate affair with the social worker assigned to him. But the couple’s bond is inescapably darkened by the secrets of Isaac’s past: the country and the conflict he left behind and the beloved friend who changed the course of his life—and sacrificed everything to ensure his freedom. From acclaimed author Dinaw Mengestu, here is a love story for our time.
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Reviews with the most likes.
Wow, I have to say that this Knopf hardback might be one of the coolest I've had — everything from design and typesetting to how the paper feels is amazing. (/technical note)
Can't say I loved the content as much though. It's a great story, and the two male protagonists felt interesting and complicated. The Helen character seemed a little flat for the first few chapters, but about halfway through the book she started gaining more depth.
There's something strange about how Mengestu ignores setting. I'm not a fan of long and overly detailed descriptions, but I like to be able to ‘see' where a scene takes place, even if only vaguely. At times it felt like a book about Africa and the Midwest that was written by an author who'd never personally been to either (which of course is not the case here). There's something about Mengestu's style that just isn't quite my thing. I kept wishing for more dialogue as it's something that he does really well, but the book was full of introspections that felt a bit mundane.
This is one of the books that had been sitting in my TBR list for the longest time, I'm glad I finally got to it because it was really good. It's honest, often unflinchingly so. There's no theatrics here so everything feels realistic, and I honestly could not put it down once I started.
