The book had immense potential with its themes of colonialism and conflict migration, but it doesn’t quite deliver. The story centers on Farid, a Libyan refugee (and his mom), and Vito, an unaffected Italian boy (and his mom), against the backdrop of Italy’s colonisation of Libya and Gaddafi’s regime—yet it never fully comes together. The plot feels thin, and the characters lack the depth needed to engage with its weighty themes. The prose, which could have been powerful, feels flat, but it may be that the translation stripped away its emotional impact. The overuse of absurd, forced similes and metaphors doesn't help either.
Overall, the book felt like a missed opportunity.