The sandcastle girls

Having known absolutely nothing about the Armenian genocide in 1915, this book shocked me. It reveals a story of inconceivable cruelty and dehumanization of an ethnic group, grounded in meticulous research of the author's own family. The author switches from several narrators experiencing the genocide firsthand, as well as the viewpoint of a family member in 2012, writing the previously unknown history of her Armenian grandparents.

Although many of the events are graphic and disturbing, I wasn't repelled by the book. The characters are so well-drawn and compelling that I wanted to keep reading and learn what happens to each one. My understanding of the Ottoman Empire, World War 1, and the whole Eurasian area under dispute then and now, has been widened by this story, and I'm adding some nonfiction accounts to my reading to satisfy my need to know more.