Salt Houses

This story follows a Palestinian family over several generations. For some members of the family it means being Palestinian but never having lived in their homeland and never really being settled. This was a lovely book and I greatly enjoyed reading about this family, I'm not familiar with any
mainstream books about Palestinians. It really gave some perspective of what it must be like to have been displaced from their homes so many decades ago, for them to always be visitors in other countries. I highly recommend this novel.

Beautifully written, captivating at its core and intimately honest in its portrayal of how migration patterns, political events and inherited trauma propels family dynamics. This novel is a testament to the fact that shared histories can sustain and complicate marriages, sibling loyalties and parent-child relationships. I held my breath reading this novel, particularly as the historical contexts that guide its narrative unraveled.

Hala Alyan is a brilliant writer...I would recommend this book again and again and again.

I have always enjoyed the literature of Palestine/Israel. Hala Alyan's work begins in 1948, after the creation of Israel. The first person portrayed is Salma, whose daughter is getting married. Salma fears for her daughter's future and her fear is justified: she and her family have to move again as well.

While not making political commentary, the tone of this book is not of anger or hate, but of abandonment and hope. Where is home to the latter generations, when wherever they move to, they are homeless and vulnerable? This is more evident in the men in this book, some who want to take up arms and fight back.

Hala Alyan's style is at times lyrical. While the chapters switch around the point of view, one sees how this displacement of "home" affects the entire family and transcends generations.

This is a fantastic debut novel that explores one family through several generations. I loved how Alyan changes narrator throughout the book giving several perspectives to this story. Set in Palestine, this novel begins with Salma's story in 1963, and really focuses on the family's displacement in 1967 after the Six-Day War. Throughout the years there is a longing to return home, and Alyan does a great job of exploring the idea of what home really is.

I can't wait to see what Alyan writes next.

Salt Houses is a masterpiece. Gorgeously written, it captures its characters in vivid detail that tells you so much in so little space. Nobody could read this without having their understanding and empathy grow. It was so beautiful I never wanted it to end.

Read this if you love family sagas and beautiful prose that is deft and fresh. Read it feel the sadness of loss and the depth of love. Above all, read Salt Houses for its deeply drawn characters and their family struggles that resonate deeply, even though you live in an American city and they live in the cities of the Palestinian diaspora.

I cannot express how much I enjoyed this book. from the start to the beginning I felt like I was living inside the book. I read this on a rainy Saturday afternoon and I will admit I cried a the end. Such a heartwarming story of Love and Loss. I am partial to all books that take place in this region of our world. the areas were described in such detail that I could imagine sitting there drinking a cup of tea If I could give this more stars I would. I am looking forward to reading more from this author

This book is beautifully written and really enthralling. It is lush and almost poetic at times. The author really draws you in with her gorgeous prose. The characters are fully fleshed out. I don't normally love dramas, but this is well done.

I like history turned into novels like this, it make sit interesting to read and educational. This was a knowledge gap filler book for me. I learned alot about subjects I knew very little about in a painless fashion with an enjoyable read.

I love books about multi generational families. And this is no exception. The book is well written and is a beautiful story over the generations about a family the Goes and all kinds of directions. Would recommend this book highly it's a great novel that makes you think long after you put it down.

very powerful..I could not take my eyes away from the words. Sometimes, I would go back to the previous sentence and reread it an awe. Thank you Hala Alyan to depict the sorrow and beauty of people who had to leave their home. I can not emphasize more the importance of this book.

Confusing character development...storyline lacked also lacked development...because of the fore mentioned comments reading the book seemed like work...expected a view into life in the Mideast...very disappointing.

Salt Houses was an interesting look at a family's trials and tribulations in the Middle East over a span of five decades. Political turmoil and a network of family meant they had to spread far and wide to find the meaning of home. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This review is for the audio version.
Ms. Alyan, I know you write fiction, but you should check your historical facts, unless your intention was to stir-up more hate. 
My problem is your timeline. The state of Israel was established in 1948. Until then the occupying forces where the Brits and before them, the Turks. When, in the early 1960s, an old Imam, age 70, tells his story of how his childhood family had lost their home in Haifa to an occupying force, he could only be speaking of the Brits or the Turks, yet you, Ms. Alyan, imply by omission that he is telling of the Israeli soldiers. The "occupying soldiers" break into his home at night and rape his angelic sister. This is a harrowing story indeed, but since you don’t mention the nationality of said “occupying soldiers,” you imply that the rape was committed by an Israeli. Whether or not the rape happened, historically speaking, those soldiers were NOT Israeli.
As peace could come from art and literature, I was looking forward to this book. The story was a bit insipid and disjointed for my taste, but I liked the narration, the characters, the settings and the writings. I would have stuck with it, but when that gross inaccuracy appeared I stopped. I had to assume that your intention was to create further bias against Israel. I don’t always agree with Israeli policies, but I am deeply saddened by this, because I love peace. If those are the hateful stories told by enlightened authors of books, there’s no hope for peace in the Middle East.
I wish you all the best.

I would recommend this book to almost anyone interested in learning about history in this world we live in. It gave me a look at the Israel-Palestine conflict, at living conditions in Kuwait and how the country grew into a nation of immigrants. Walks us thru conflict after conflict as generations of the family constantly move to escape war and find their place in the world.

Beautiful, haunting and lyrical. It's a story to be savored slowly. The journey of the characters generation after generation is breathtaking in the discovery of the changes through time. Definitely worthy of a quiet Sunday afternoon, curled up in your favorite chair with a throw over your knees as you discover this beautiful book.

This multi-generational story is a beautifully written debut novel. The story takes place between 1948 and 2014 and is told via shifting viewpoints of a Palestinian family. The author is genius at crafting her vibrant characters and how each personality deals with homeland instability, their struggles, upheavals and day to day uncertainty, the byproducts of middle eastern politics and war. I cared about what happened to each of them during tumultuous times. I know little of the Middle East culture and appreciated being schooled in the cultural differences between generations. The unforgettable story pulled me in from the start.