I loved Etaf Rum's first book but I found this one slow and disappointing. It was a very depressing story of an oppressed Palestinian woman who gets divorced in search of of happiness. It weaves in. a tale of a family curse. While I am completely sympathetic to the plight of the current Palestinian situation, which is why I wanted to read this book to learn more about the culture, this author has been overly anti-Israeli which is disappointing.

Etaf Rum is now an auto-buy author for me! Like her first novel, A Woman is No Man, Rum digs deep into misogyny, immigrant families, mental health, and more through the study of lives of women.

In Evil Eye, we meet Yara, a young mother of two struggling with her place in the world. She is haunted by her childhood, the daughter of Palestinian immigrant parents in an abusive relationship, and she struggles to keep up the facade of the perfect, well-adjusted wife/ mother/ employee. When Yara is forced to see a therapist after an incident at work, she starts the process of unraveling her trauma and seeing her life clearly. Rum is an expert at getting to the heart of a very complicated character, but she imbues Yara with so many relatable thoughts and feelings.

I highly recommend Evil Eye and A Woman is No Man. I think these are set to be modern classics, and I eagerly await what Etaf Rum writes next.

I loved a woman is no man it made it in my top books of 2023 but I did not enjoy this book at all. It felt like I was reading this for forever. I understand what Yara was going through but it just felt so repetitive. I can’t tell it if was the audiobook or the writing but yara was so Whiny that I needed to stop listening at 79%

Amazing new title from Rum about life's expectations and reality. The way Rum just dives into the pyshce of the modern woman. Yara's life is everything she's ever wanted it to be after a rough home life growning up, but she can't help feeling it's all for nothing. She's unhappy despite having she thought she wanted. A racist comment from a co-worker is the last straw and she seeks help. What unfolds is a moving exploration of generational trauma and mental health. A particular poigant book for our times.

This was another wonderful book by Etaf Rum on motherhood and how the past shapes us. Yara, a Palestinian-American woman, wants nothing more than to have a successful career while being able to take care of her family. When her aspirations take a back seat to her husband's, something finally gives and she begins exploring her past and her future.

Rum was born and raised in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, by Palestinian immigrants in the same insular community from which she draws inspiration for her novels. This is the story of a young woman who marries young and starts realizing what she wants LATER, and the complications that ensue. While this was an interesting read, the story would have benefited from a husband who was not cartoonishly terrible.

In Etaf Rum's EVIL EYE a Palestinian-American wife and mother struggles to reconcile her difficult past and present with her desired future. I recommend this novel enthusiastically, with noted content warnings for domestic violence, depression, and suicidal ideation. This novel contains beautiful writing, important mental health and cultural representation, and shows an honest look at the struggles of the 2nd generation immigrant experience (especially in relation to parenting). Tough topics are handled with sensitivity, care, and lots of heart.

I very much enjoy Etaf Rum writing. I loved A Woman is No Man. Evil Eye did make me feel many things like A Woman is No Man. Though I felt there was a lot of repetition. It is difficult read these types of subjects thinking the woman has no way out. I was afraid it was going to have a similar ending to her first book. I was pleased it went in a different direction. I did enjoy the book, I do believe if you have many strong feeling while reading a book..... it is a good book.

I was so excited to see a new novel by Etaf Rum as I loved her previous novel " A Woman is No Man". Evil Eye was just as excellent.

This novel is about Yara, a Palestinian-American woman and mother. Yara's parents were born in Palestine but moved to Brooklyn, where Yara grew up.

I feel that this story will resonate with women everywhere as this story stresses the expectations placed on women as wives and mothers.

Evil Eye is a complex tale. Yara is struggling within her marriage and that endangers her role as mother, all while balancing a career in which Yara is seeking as a way to give her an identity and a feeling of self-fulfillment. While coming to terms with her present life, Yara is trying to navigate through the familial traumas her parents have experienced and has identified the generational trauma that she was exposed to and is trying to do better for her own daughters.

I loved this book because it so viscerally shows experiences of woman, wives, mothers and most importantly shines a light on the isolation that may be felt by immigrant woman with no support network.

Wonderful and heart-wrenching. This was a beautifully written meditation on what we owe to ourselves, our families, and our traditions. I cried several times.

Etaf Rum set the bar incredibly high with her debut, and it's incredible to know that with Evil Eye there is absolutely no sophomore slump. This affecting story full of generational trauma and legacy and cultural viewpoints on mental health and the role of women had me reading, thinking, tearing up, commiserating, reeling. It's a thoughtful book without any excess.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for a copy of this book.
I love Etaf Rum's writing and how she immerses the reader in the Arabic culture of her protagonists. She did that so well in 'A Woman is No Man', and she did that well in 'Evil Eye'. This novel is a bit more...optimistic than 'A Woman is No Man', which was refreshing, in a way. The reader follows Yara, a Palestinian-American from Brooklyn who moves to North Carolina after getting married. She has so many aspirations for herself and her life, however, her culture, but moreover, her generational trauma, is holding her back. By the end, I was definitely rooting for her to break free from her chains. She is a likeable character, easy to empathize with, with a good amount of character development. She's complex, which helps the reader stay engaged in the plot. Overall, Rum developed the characters fairly well, giving them all complicated histories.
The pacing for this is average, on par with most literary fiction. Themes of generational trauma, depression, and mental illness, as well as multicultural interest and diversity.

Very readable with well structured prose. While I’m not a mother, the feelings and thoughts brought up were extremely relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for the ARC.

When a young mother struggles with guilt and self doubt, she realizes that, for the future mental health of her daughters, she must change. But being raised in a loveless family and escaping into an arranged marriage, she is plagued with voices from her ancestors criticizing her for being unhappy. The author has done an amazing job portraying the struggle of a woman learning to trust her own feelings and to form relationships with others. The story and the struggle are real.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC to read and review.

After reading and loving Etaf Rum's A Woman is No Man, I couldn't wait to devour her sophomore novel Evil Eye. The book was slightly different than I expected - I think I thought there'd be more "magic" in the book, so was slightly disappointed. But I loved Yara, learning about her Palestinian-American heritage, and the struggles she went through, both as a result of her culture/upbringing, and the trauma she endured as an adult, as well as her journey into healing. The author does a great job with the sights and sounds of Palestinian landscape, foods, culture, bringing it all to life vividly. This is a wonderful book for those who looking for female empowerment, overcoming difficult backgrounds, and learning about cultures that might be different from your own. Much thanks to #EvilEye #NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this much-anticipated book. 3.5/5 stars.

Can Yara make something of herself without giving up her Palestinian traditions? Is it safer to be obedient than to be free? These are questions Yara, our main character in Evil Eye grapples with. Yara has grown up in a very sheltered environment, with parents that immigrated from Palestine to Brooklyn, NY. Her own parents marriage was not a happy one, and Yara is struggling with dealing with her childhood trauma. She marries at 19 to a young man who also wants to escape his family life, and she has her first child at the age of twenty. Throughout the book she tries to reconcile her memories with her unhappiness in her current life. Yara does build friendships, and discovers therapy and there is a hopeful ending. Evil Eye did make me think about how people are traumatized leaving their homeland, being forced to live in camps, and how that trauma weaves into the lives of future generations. Yara spend every night in her parent's home, and immediately transferred to Fadi's (her husband's). She never lived a day on her own. It was good to see her reclaim her life and power through her art and journaling. Thank you to Netgalley for an Advanced reader copy.

An insightful novel about mental health, culture, and gender roles. Yara, a Palestinian-American, is frustrated while she dreams of doing more with her career, the expectations from her husband, in-laws, and parents, have her feeling as though she's trapped in a life that isn't making her happy. Can she live the life she wants to live, or will her happiness suffer to appease the cultural expectations. I loved reading Yara's journey. It's another powerful novel from Etaf Rum.

I found this book to be very immersive and harrowing. The protagonist goes through explicit traumas from her childhood and her present day life that encourage her self destructive behaviors, which read to me as very authentic. I deeply appreciated the novel's message that portrayed a positive, realistic view on therapy and the overall celebration and bravery that comes from seeking help. The complexity in Yara with her struggles of navigating her identities as a mother, a wounded child, and a Palestinian-American were done precisely and with great care. So, it was a pleasure to read this novel.

My only critique would be to include more trigger warnings at the start of the novel to be sensitive and empathetic for readers who may have direct experience with the topics discussed throughout Yara's journey.

Overall, 4.5/5 stars.

Another deep dive into a culture that I rarely read, but each time, I’m so grateful to be born in a country without these immense traditions weighting me down.

Etaf Rum’s second book is as genius as the first, but in a completely different way. Watching 3 generations of women function in marriages that include prison camp, spousal abuse, racism and societal expectations as well as the legacy of those in families is incredibly revelatory as you discover the hidden strength and resiliency that each develops.

The main character, Yara, is on a journey of her own, through marriage, motherhood, societal and family expectations. An offhand racist remark at work that hit far below the belt sends the character reeling into a labyrinth in which she is unfairly blamed for her simple and truthful response to the attack. Yara struggles to find herself, as an individual, outside the expectations of everyone else for her. This smart, educated woman meanders through her own past, her memories, and even her present, to truly understand who SHE is, and how she has become this person.

As poets and philosophers have noted, sometimes one must throw off the burdens of one’s past to become who they are meant to be, truly. This beautiful account of such an endeavor will inspire readers to truly reconsider their perspectives, and perhaps help some personal journeys to take flight.