Title: Salt Houses
Author: Hala Alyan
Year Published: 2017
Format: Hardcover, 320 pp
Summary: On the eve of her daughter Alia’s wedding, Salma reads the girl’s future in a cup of coffee dregs. She sees an unsettled life for Alia and her children; she also sees travel, and luck. While she chooses to keep her predictions to herself that day, they will all soon come to pass when the family is uprooted in the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967.
Salma is forced to leave her home in Nablus; Alia’s brother gets pulled into a politically militarized world he can’t escape; and Alia and her gentle-spirited husband move to Kuwait City, where they reluctantly build a life with their three children. When Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait in 1990, Alia and her family once again lose their home, their land, and their story as they know it, scattering to Beirut, Paris, Boston, and beyond. Soon Alia’s children begin families of their own, once again navigating the burdens (and blessings) of assimilation in foreign cities.
Lyrical and heartbreaking, Salt Houses is a remarkable debut novel that challenges and humanizes an age-old conflict we might think we understand—one that asks us to confront that most devastating of all truths: you can’t go home again.
My Summary: I adored this book. 5 stars.
My Thoughts: I loved this story. Alyan takes the reader on a journey into the hearts of her characters, and explores themes of home, family, and belonging in a gentle but thought-provoking manner.
I borrowed this from the library and wished for my e-reader because instead of the ease of highlighting, I was constantly having to reach for my notebook to write down beautiful passages filled with profound thoughts.
I learned a great deal about the Middle East and the conflicts facing its people. I found myself pulling up maps and consulting my historian husband to learn more about the circumstances faced.
Alyan’s characters grow and she weaves sympathy, even in characters who often make negative or difficult choices. I’m talking here to you, Alia and Souad! 🙂 She communicates so well the tensions between parents and children, spouses, and siblings, and how restlessness and the desire to belong can affect our families and the choices we make.
I loved this book so very much and look forward to reading more!
Caryn Considers 
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