I feel like saying I "enjoyed" this book is the wrong word, but I really was engrossed in reading it. A unique but exquisite exploration of a life so different than mine, and very different reading a book in 2nd person narrative. Thank you for the chance to read this brilliant book

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

When I first cracked open "Other Names, Other Places" by Ola Mustapha, I had no idea what an incredible literary adventure awaited me. As a reader, I found myself immediately drawn into the vibrant world of London, where our protagonist, Nessie (or Susu, or Nessie - take your pick), navigates the tumultuous waters of her multicultural identity.

I saw myself in Nessie's shoes, feeling that eternal tug-of-war between my heritage and the culture that surrounds me. Her struggle to belong felt like a real-life "Bridget Jones's Diary" with a multicultural twist, and I couldn't help but think of my own journey through life's maze of identity.

With family secrets resurfacing, I eagerly awaited revelations, much like the climax of a favorite mystery novel. "Other Names, Other Places" is a captivating exploration of cultural complexity and family dynamics, offering a thought-provoking, immersive experience with a personal touch.

In the end, this book was both enlightening and entertaining, leaving me with a newfound appreciation for the complexities of identity. It's a must-read for anyone seeking a relatable, captivating narrative that will have you reflecting on your own journey.

Who am I? What makes me myself? What role in my life plays parents, other people, experiences, personality? The most important skill in your life is to learn to live with yourself. Ola Mustapha successfully showed process of overcoming difficulties finding your own place in the world.
The beginning of the story was a bit sketchy but the second half turned it into undoubtedly valuable read.

I liked the unique pov of the protagonist, but I find that the story was not easy to follow and it made it harder to read than necessary, because the story could have been magnificent.

I recommend it, but it definitely isn't a highlight of this year for me

A debut novel from British author Ola Mustapha brings us a portrait of a young woman, a child of Tunisian immigrants in London, and her struggles with identity, her tumultuous childhood, and the fractured memories that she feels might hold the secrets to her adult habit of self-sabotage.

The narrative is addressed to the controversial Mrs. Brown, a family friend who disappeared from their lives after murky incidents. It spans from the late 70s to early 00s and follows Nesrine through her journey to adulthood; her restlessness at having no place to belong; her attempts to escape to an expat life in Japan; always circling back to certain haunting events from her childhood.

I enjoyed the complex dynamics of the family, and it addresses how the immigrant family's impermanency in the UK impacts Nessie's later life. Nesrine as an adult is not a likeable character, but her misery is relatable. The surprise ending for me kind of came like a punchline when you didn't realize there was a joke. A lot of the book was quite disjointed without tying things together. It works as a fictional memoir, but readers who like a more cohesive narrative this might not be for you.

I appreciated Nessie’s unique voice/POV in Other Names, Other Faces. I did find the story a bit hard to follow as it moved around. I was hoping there would be an audiobook version as it might have been an easier experience listening. I’ll definitely keep my eye out on this author for future releases!
*Thanks to Fairlight books and NetGalley for this review copy.

<i>Other Names, Other places</i> starts with Nessie, a young girl from Tunisia now living in London, narrating her life to Mrs. Brown - a family friend who disappeared suddenly. Voice of this young girl gives a unique perspective of distancing herself from her own story while providing an observational commentary. While narrating, there is ambiguity in parsing relationships, happenstances as its all seen and interpreted by a very young girl. As it makes the story a little unreliable, it is what the young girl experiences and everything that is left off, feels slightly open ended. It is believable, as this story works as both recollection and narration, details do tend to miss. I particularly found this enjoyable for simple reason that our memories are porous, our perception of world around us is incomplete and our deductions aren't always the right one.

The section of the book where Nessie moves to Japan reads like a completely different book - her thoughts aren't scattered as much, there is restraint in her view and the subtle weariness she feels - a feeling that all grown ups have and with her background, its a little more than ordinary. Though I attribute the shifting tone to Nessie growing up, some of her choices she makes along the way, does make one wonder. At times, the intent - an inner monologue is missing. I liked it for the way it was presented and added layer to her as an individual who is flawed like the rest.

Very strong debut by Ola Mustapha.

I was surprised by the stream of consciousness style of the book. It did make the story feel more personal but I felt like it made the book a little slow. It took a long time to really get to the meat of the story despite the short chapters. I think the part where she settles in Japan were the most solid.

this was okay, but read a little juvenile and i didn't feel connected to the characters or what happens to them at all. i can see other reader enjoying this a lot tho!

— thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the free digital ARC.

A coming of age story about a girl navigating life while feeling caught between cultures, seeking her own identity and wanting to belong.

Told in the second voice, with short chapters, this is an easy and interesting read.

The novel takes the form of Nesrine/Nessie talking/writing to Mrs Brown - an English woman who has influenced her life in unexpected ways. It is almost an endless stream of consciousness from when Nessie was growing up in London with her Tunisian parents and older sister, Sherine, to her time as an adult trying to escape her dual life by going to work in Japan for several years. There is an interesting twist alluded to throughout the story.

3.5-4⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley and @fairlightbooks for the ebook in return for an honest review.

Not me finding another 5 star read! 🥹

This book is unlike anything I’ve read in awhile and is super unique in its style and structure. Every sentence was intentional and had its purpose in developing the story, which made it such a page turning addictive read!

Mustapha perfectly balances Nesrine’s childhood, told in a disjointed way to reflect her incomplete memories, and her adulthood, which gives us a well rounded view of her life and the moments that have led to her current situation. I really enjoyed how each chapter peeled a layer off one by one to get to the revelation at the end.

The book is a beautiful examination of being an immigrant in the UK, the rejection of your culture in order to assimilate and choosing what to hold on to and what to let go of. I also enjoyed how the author explored other themes, all which felt fully realised such as dysfunctional families, identity, relationships and ‘otherness’.

Overall I’m super happy I got to read this book, I would definitely recommend checking it out if this sounds like your vibe.

The characters in this novel were so real to me, I briefly forgot it was fiction. The book is written in the voice of Nesrine as she reflects on her life and a particular mystery from her childhood. She addresses Mrs. Brown, a friend of the family who abruptly disappeared from her life. The narrative is somewhat disjointed, following the thoughts of Nesrine. There is much left unsaid in the family and Nesrine's memories are incomplete and unreliable.

Ola Mustapha has mastered the art of showing, not telling. As the book continues and you learn more facets of the family relationships, you understand what might have happened. Only at the very end do you begin to have a complete picture. The storytelling is masterful. After finishing, I immediately wanted to do a reread to catch all that I might have missed.

Themes:
The immigrant experience is an important theme of the first half as Nesrine, her sister, and her mother left Tunisia to join her father in London. The second half shows a different immigrant experience when she leaves the UK for Japan where she is mostly involved with the "expat" community.
Family dynamics
Relationships
Mental health

Many thanks to Netgalley and Fairlight Books for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Other Names, Other Places is the moving story of Nesrine, a child born of Tunisian parents who grew up in London never quite belonging anywhere, or to anyone.

There is not much that is entirely reliable in her life, least of all her cultural identity. And those shifting sands are exemplified by her name - officially Nesrine, but Nessie to her friends and Susu to her family.

Nessie cannot even find a safe home in her family, despite having parents and an older sister. The impact of her abusive father and her distant family relationships becomes all too apparent in the behaviour of the adult that she grows into.

Nessie's story is told in the form of a letter to Mrs Brown, their neighbour when she was growing up, who left a huge impact on her psyche. Mrs Brown's subsequent disappearance from their lives also left an impact, the latter rather less positive than the former.

This is a sad book in many ways, because Nessie's story is one that is often sad. The twist at the end does a good job of explaining much of what seems inexplicable to Nessie as a young child witnessing events.

For someone who enjoys multicultural stories and coming of age stories, this debut has a lot to recommend it. There are some parts that seemed either unnecessary or confusing, but overall I enjoyed it. This is an interesting book and a good first effort from Ola Mustapha. It gets 3.5 stars from me.

Thank you to Fairlight Books and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Rating: ★★★.5/5

I am SO undecided about how I feel towards this book. Written uniquely in a second-person voice, Other Names, Other Places is a curious little peek into the life of a daughter of immigrants. Nessie is a London-raised Tunisian, forever caught between cultures upon the backdrop of classic tumultuous teenage life and bustling London. Her insights and experiences felt piercing, despite the jarring second-person narrative, and you really feel deep empathy for the back-and-forth she experiences; the way in which Nessie is trying to find herself.

The narrative style really threw me off for a majority of the book, and it is a bit of a slow burner with many short chapters. But the book picks up with Nessie moves to Japan: her self-discovery here really speeds up and there’s far more action. I suppose it’s more ‘generally relatable’. While this one wasn’t quite so satisfying to read as others with a more classic writing style, I really appreciated this take on the immigrant experience.

Other Names, Other Places is the debut novel by writer Ola Mustapha. Ola was born in Egypt, grew up in the UK and has lived in Japan. These experiences are undoubtedly reflected in her work. Apart from immigration, the themes of family, family secrets, infidelity, identity and mental health are dealt with.
It tells the story of Nesrine, aka Nessie, aka Usu, a Tunisian immigrant to the UK, along with her parents, sister and family friend Mrs Brown,aka Genevieve, who unexpectedly and unexplainedly disappears from their lives. This absence, along with other events that occur in her childhood and which she does not understand due to her young age, have consequences in the life of the protagonist. The issue of names, beyond the title, is not exploited very much, and could have been exploited more.
At first, both the title and the cover caught my attention, as they fit well with the intention of the book. Then I found myself immersed in a coming-of-age story, well-written, well-developed, interesting and gripping.
Although Nasrine is not a particularly likeable character, her story intrigues and grips, as it goes beyond the increasingly typical immigrant adaptation narrative. The presence and, above all, the disappearance of Mrs Brown, gives it an extra mystery that sets it apart from other works of its kind.
I highlight the second-person narration and the circular structure of the novel. The first, because it makes it more intimate, and the second because it gives closure to the narrative tension that builds throughout the work. However, I think that at the end of the book, when she returns to some anecdotes from the beginning in order to explain them in some way, she prolongs the aforementioned tension too much.
In the middle part Nasrine tells us about her early life as an immigrant in the UK, her time at university and the years spent in Japan. I particularly liked the part about Japan the most because it is where we can see the deficiencies that the character has as a result of her childhood and adolescence.
My favourite character is Sherine, because of how she acts as the older, protective sister, and how she fights for the younger one's freedom of choice. As for the father, he has no further to go, he follows the canons of behaviour typical of his male sex, a Muslim father of a family.
Finally, the final "surprise" is something that I could see coming, which the author took a long time to reveal and which gives a different view of the mother and some passages of the story.
In conclusion, it is recommended for those who like stories of immigrants adapting to other countries, books of coming-of-age and family secrets.

En español: Other Names, Other Places es la novela debut de la escritora Ola Mustapha. Ola nació en Egipto, creció en Reino Unido y ha vivido en Japón. Estas experiencias se ven reflejadas, sin duda, en su obra. Aparte de la inmigración, se trata los temas de la familia, los secretos familiares, la infidelidad, la identidad y la salud mental.
Aquí se narra la historia de Nesrine, AKA Nessie, AKA Usu, inmigrante tunesina en Reino Unido, junto a sus padres, hermana y a Mrs. Brown, AKA Genevieve, amiga de la familia, la cual desaparece de sus vidas de forma inesperada e inexplicada. Esta ausencia, junto a otros hechos que ocurren en su infancia y que ella no comprende debido a su corta edad, tienen sus consecuencias en la vida de la protagonista. El asunto de los nombres, más allá del título, está poco explotado, se le podía sacar más partido.
En un primer momento me llamaron la atención tanto el título como la portada, puesto que se ajustan bien a la intención del libro. Luego, me vi sumergida en una historia coming-of-age, bien escrita, bien desarrollada, que interesa y atrapa.
A pesar de que Nasrine, no es un personaje particularmente gustable, su historia intriga y atrapa, puesto que va más allá de la, cada vez más típica, narración de adaptación de inmigrantes. La presencia y, sobre todo, la desaparición de Mrs Brown, le da un plus de misterio que la distingue entre otras obras de su tipo.
Destaco la narración en segunda persona y la estructura circular de la novela. La primera, porque la hace más íntima, y la segunda porque le da un cierre a la tensión narrativa que va en aumento a lo largo de la obra. Si bien, creo que al final del libro, cuando vuelve a retomar algunas anécdotas del principio para, de alguna forma explicarlas, alarga demasiado esta tensión antes mencionada.
En la parte central Nasrine nos cuenta los primeros años de su vida como inmigrante en Reino Unido, su paso por la universidad y los años pasados en Japón. Particularmente la parte de Japón es la que más me ha gustado porque es donde se ve las deficiencias que el personaje tiene a raíz de su infancia y adolescencia.
Mi personaje preferido, es Sherine, por cómo ejerce de hermana mayor, protectora, y cómo lucha por la libertad de elección de la menor. En cuanto al padre, no tiene más recorrido, sigue los cánones de comportamiento propios de su sexo masculino, padre de familia musulmán.
Por último, la “sorpresa” final es algo que se iba viendo venir, que la autora tardó mucho en desvelar y que le da otra visión a la madre y a algunos pasajes de la historia.
En conclusión, recomendada para quien le gusten las historias de adaptación de inmigrantes en otros países, los libros de iniciación y los secretos familiares

Ola Mustapha’s debut novel, Other Names, Other Places, is a captivating coming-of-age tale that follows Nesrine, a Tunisian immigrant living in the UK. Written in the second person, the story unfolds as a heartfelt conversation between Nesrine (also known as Nessie) and Mrs. Brown, a family friend and former neighbor from years ago. Through this conversation, Nessie recounts her entire life, immersing the reader in her evocative narrative.

The title and cover of the novel are just as intriguing as the story itself. From the outset, Mustapha’s melancholic prose transports us to Nessie’s past, exploring her formative years. She comes from a dysfunctional family with a distant father, an aloof mother, and an older sister, leaving Nessie without any close bonds within her household.

As the narrative progresses, Nessie gradually unveils fragmented pieces of her memory, attempting to reconstruct her past. We witness her journey through different stages of life, from childhood to adulthood, as she becomes an expatriate in Tokyo. Mustapha candidly portrays Nessie’s struggles as an immigrant child who struggles to fit in.

Skillfully navigating through various themes such as family dynamics, immigrant challenges, parental expectations, and infidelity, Mustapha presents this multi-layered story in the form of a journal. She adeptly reveals subtle details throughout the narrative, holding the reader’s attention as they traverse three countries: the UK, Tunisia, and Japan. The cultural differences between these settings are vividly depicted.

If you enjoy slow-paced, coming-of-age stories that revolve around complex relationships, I recommend picking up Other Names, Other Places.
I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and Fairlight Books for providing me with the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.



Wordsopedia Rating 3.5/5

Other Names, Other Places is a great title and the work of a new writer. I wanted very much to like this book, as I am an avid reader. However, I was not drawn into the story. It seemed so sad. The immigrant experience is one that is different for everyone, but this book took place in the recent past, so surely someone who came before could have shared information as to help make the transition easier for this family. Was this family so far removed from others, even with a father that came before, to be so outside the realm of understanding? Yes there is the one neighbor, but the kids went to school and spoke the language - surely they could help navigate as is usually the case.

The book is one long dialogue as though you are listening to constant conversation, and someone said to write it all down. It is naïve, and childlike, and sometimes that is good. Overall, I did not like reading this book and I found it depressing.

Other Names, Other Places is the debut novel of Ola Mustapha. Written in the second person - a distancing narrative voice which is tricky to pull off successfully - and one which Mustapha uses well here to create narrative tension.

It begins as an immigrant story, a child's voice, a child of Tunisian parents in London, Nessie is a girl stuck between worlds, trying to find her place. The writing in these early sections is richly evocative, and Mustsapha shows a real ear for child thought.

As Nessie grows up she flees Britain, and settles in Japan. This final third of the novel brings into focus the impact her upbringing has had on Nessie - she has some behaviour issues - and brings around a reveal which reverberates back through the novel.

This is a very fine debut, full of excellent writing and marks Mustapha out as a name to watch.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a spoiler-free review of Ola Mustapha's debut novel, 'Other Names, Other Places.' A huge thank you to Netgalley and Fairlight Books for the ARC copy.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I enjoyed the overall writing. The second-person narration made for a slightly jarring opening, but perhaps perfectly sets up the main characters of Nessie and Mrs Brown, and also sets up the struggles of the narrator in coming to terms with her past, family and experiences. I did enjoy the subtle manner in which the author complicates the growing characterisations of all those Nessie encounters, as both a child and an "adult" (a term shakingly contested in the novel), and the ending reveal, which though surprising (for me at least), fit in perfectly and shed new light on previous events. Yet, I wish the author had not decided to repeat certain sections again (keyword: snake). While I understand the possible intention, the execution would have worked if the reveal they were leading to was introduced in them via slight changes or additions to those parts.

The plot attempts to explore multiple themes of identity, family, platonic and romantic relationships, secrecy, mental health, and many more via a disjointed coming-of-age story. Unfortunately, some themes seem to fizzle out, existing only as a bridge for plot or thematic progression. The titular theme of naming seems to be stretched too thin, hinting at multiple ideas but never actualising beyond surface-level issues. The other theme of 'home' and 'places' is explored more deeply, but the cultural clashes of the narrator with London lose major significance halfway across the book, and Japan's representation is mostly repressed by the prominence of interactions with non-Japanese characters. While there are minute discussions about not being native to the country, the book fails to use the country in a more meaningful manner, almost making it exchangeable with any other country foreign to the UK and Tunisia.

Another major issue was how unlikeable I found the protagonist as an adult. While I am all for flawed characters, I struggle to reconcile someone who is 'adored' by other characters with someone who relegates throwing ware and breaking framed photos to 'incidents'. The author does seem to indicate the problematic nature of the protagonist, via her sister Sherine, her unnamed manager 'boyfriend' or Laila, yet never gives it any reasonable exploration or conclusion, shifting focus to her panic attacks instead. This for me seems like a step back in mental health representation since even when the idea of individual therapy is bought up, it is overshadowed by the protagonist's almost-justified anger at the manager (by then ex-boyfriend) who brings it up, muddling both notions of mental health and relationships and giving neither the space to breathe (ironically the reason why the manager could not make things work with Nessie).

Overall, it was a book with tons of potential and incredible moments and writing. But in comparison to the growing number of literary works exploring themes of cultural and mixed identity, names, relationships and 'home', the novel pales and seems at times a try-hard, juggling different ideas with each page, but allowing none to come to deserved fruition.