What Strange Paradise

A Novel

By: Omar El Akkad

Narrated by: Dion Graham

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR • From the widely acclaimed, bestselling author of American War—a beautifully written, unrelentingly dramatic, and profoundly moving novel that looks at the global refugee crisis through the eyes of a child.

"Told from the point of view of two children, on the ground and at sea, the story so astutely unpacks the us-versus-them dynamics of our divided world that it deserves to be an instant classic." —The New York Times Book Review

More bodies have washed up on the shores of a small island. Another overfilled, ill-equipped, dilapidated ship has sunk under the weight of its too many passengers: Syrians, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Lebanese, Palestinians, all of them desperate to escape untenable lives back in their homelands. But miraculously, someone has survived the passage: nine-year-old Amir, a Syrian boy who is soon rescued by Vänna. Vänna is a teenage girl, who, despite being native to the island, experiences her own sense of homelessness in a place and among people she has come to disdain. And though Vänna and Amir are complete strangers, though they don’t speak a common language, Vänna is determined to do whatever it takes to save the boy.

In alternating chapters, we learn about Amir’s life and how he came to be on the boat, and we follow him and the girl as they make their way toward safety. What Strange Paradise is the story of two children finding their way through a hostile world. But it is also a story of empathy and indifference, of hope and despair—and about the way each of those things can blind us to reality.

Excellent read except...

The ending detracted from the book. Not sure what the author's purpose was with this choice. I know some stories can end too neat & tidy, living happily ever after and so on. I felt confused & annoyed by it.

Absolutely terrific.

I bought this on a whim. Seems like a topical story. A boatload of desperate refugees shipwrecks off a Greek Island and only one 9 year old boy survives. It is really a story about the connection we all have, even with those who come from a different land and don't speak our language. It was inspiring. You will feel better for listening to this story.

Excellent!

Couldn’t stop listening! Gripping story! Been a long time since I listened to such a good story!

Beautiful

From the written word to the wonderful narration this is an important and beautiful story. The only time I wished I had the book was at the ending. Sometimes I need to read the endings again.

Some of the most beautiful writing I’ve ever encountered

Enlightening, thought provoking, finely drawn characters, and a few symphonies of words that will absolutely take your breath away.

The narrator does a great job with dialogue and accents, but goes way over the top with simple narratives. You have to work hard to ignore his melodramatics. Such a shame. If he would have knocked that off, it would be a near perfect piece of work.