I was looking forward to reading a story about an Eritrean man's time in Saudi Arabia, given that the author is an Eritrean man who lived in Saudi Arabia. The protagonist of this debut novel shares some of Addonia’s own displaced history, although in other Sulaiman Addonia must be one of the few authors whose life has been as dramatic as his fiction. This is the reality of the time and we follow Naser, a Sudanese refugee living in Saudi Arabia, who is basically less than a second class citizen because of his position and background.This book was about a forbidden romance set in Saudi Arabia of the 1980s. I'm sure I spent most of my time reading this with my mouth hanging open in disbelief. It also documents how she realises as an adult (and a mother of two girls) that she has no memory of her sister, other than the events surrounding her tragic death when Gavanndra was 14 and Candy was just nine years old.This was a hard but riveting read mainly set in the world of celebrities and their drug habits in the 80s. I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.Consequences of Love is Gavanndra Hodge’s interesting and incredibly honest account of her childhood.
Perhaps only as she grew into her adult self – a successful career woman, a wife in a stable marriage and a mother of two adored daughters – did she feel safe enough to aIn ‘The Consequences of Love’ Gavanndra Hodge has written an incredibly moving and life-affirming memoir about her life and her little sister’s death. As much as there are other people mentioned in the book, like a boyfriend and friends etc, it is ultimately one that focuses your mind on both Gavanndra and Candy Hodge.In ‘The Consequences of Love’ Gavanndra Hodge has written an incredibly moving and life-affirming memoir about her life and her little sister’s death. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Her lifestyle is completely normal to her, as a young child staying up until all hours to make sure nobody falls asleep and sets the house on fire. This book is about love, loss, grief on a huge scale, dealing with the consequences of the magnitude of grief, identity, drugs and alcohol of dealing with memories and handling life when people fill in the gaps, that have been long since suppressed. Very different. Her adored father used her to attract her young friends. I'm between 3 and 4 stars for this one, so rounded down to 3. It is an exploration of why, for most of her life so far, she was unable to remember her much-loved Candy, and what this tells us about her own chaotic childhood and adolescence. There is a lot to learn in this book, I would say. All what you need from a great novel! She was only 9. Naser, a 20 year old man, feels like an outsider. He was born as the son of an Eritrean mother and an Ethiopian father in Eritrea. Some parts developed slow though but overall a riveting read.A shocking window into a world of which I know nothing. I also found the latter part of the book, where she reconnects with her half-sister, really moving. The novel is set in the year 1989, in Saudi Arabia, where the women are covered head to toe in black cloth, and the men move freely in light coloured cotton through the streets. It is the story of an immigrant living in Saudia Arabia who falls in love with a woman and their relationship continues through letters.
I received a copy of this book via netgalley. This is something his peers scoff at, knowing that Naser's westernised conception of being 'free to love' does not exist in Saudi Arabia, with its arranged marriages and complete segregation of women from men. The family is fragile.
I don't want to give away too much, buI think this is one of the best love stories I have ever experienced. Gavvandra Hodge is the now adult daughter of a drug-dealer and an ex-model. We’d love your help. It casts an interesting light on their society- such as the exploitation of young boys in a world that forbids unmarried men and women to be seen together. In this memoir, Hodge describes the impact that losing her nine year old sister had on her and her family, most notably her drug addicted and promiscuous father. The story takes place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the Religious Police enforce Islamic law with an iron fist. Although it has to be said most other people in it spent most of their time unconscious either through Alcohol or drug addiction. "I decided it was better to continue holding on to an idea, even if it was dangerous, in the hope that it would one day become more, rather than continue living in a loveless world."#NadirasPointOfReview. As a refugee Naser is forced to endure sexual abuse by his employers, sponsors and supposed friends – all men who turn to boys due to the controls imposed against relations between men and women by the controlling fanatical Imams and religious police.
As a light romance, it has merit, but it is not a literary work with depth, style and complexity. I think the book could have either been shorter or had more action. I am never quite certain what someone of less than no renown feels that the reader would be interested in their life story. I feel almost guilty for enjoying this memoir so much, when it is genuinely heartbreaking. Women covered completely from head to toe, religious police roaming the streets, men admonished if they are seen on the streets when the call to prayer is heard, regular lashings and people being stoned or hanged in the punishment square.