Amanda Rizkalla

Hungered is a page-turner, with short chapters that make it easy to say "just one more" until, before you know it, you've accidentally blasted through half the book. It's eloquent, but no word is wasted, and the writing never impedes the story.

The characters' struggle to survive in spite of an uncaring (and sometimes actively hostile) society creates a natural tension that ebbs and flows, but never completely resolves. Each moment feels designed to prompt reflection: would I have helped the show more protagonist? Are those around me struggling in unseen ways? Could this happen to me? The novel left me a bit harrowed, and a bit unsatisfied, which I believe to be the author's intended effect.

Overall, a very solid, quick read. I will be recommending it to friends when it is published more widely. show less

Twelve year old Sofia contends with poverty, domestic violence, racism, and all the normal perils of tween-hood in this emotionally indelible debut novel. Sofia's voice is unforgettable: she's heartbreakingly responsible beyond her years, but clearly still a kid with a kid's sense of justice, big emotions, and naivete. It's impossible not to feel drawn into her world and invested in her wellbeing.

Sofia's complicated family relationships define her existence as much as the cruelty of show more strangers and random chance. Central to the novel is her fraught relationship with her mother Nina: a woman who must make agonizing choices to protect her children from the abusive men in her life. As readers we see Nina through Sofia's eyes, but reading as a adult/especially as a parent brings another level of understanding to Nina's character.

Amanda Rinzkala's writing is taut and efficient, with short chapters that feel propulsive while evoking the extent to which Sofia's life is outside of her control. Emotionally honest, without easy answers or a simple resolution. I'm looking forward to seeing more work from this writer! show less

This is an amazing little book. I received it as an Early Reviewer but I will recommend it to all my friends to purchase. Told from the perspective of twelve year old Sofia, it shares with the reader her thoughts and experiences as she, her mother, and her younger brother spend part of a year living in her mother's car and low rent housing. Told in a tight prose, it is a great description of how even people who work (her mother has a professional job for much of the time) can easily go from show more living a middle class life to poverty. It especially shows what this experience is like for the children who are involved, who are displaced through no action of their own. Although the characters in the book are of Mexican and Egyptian heritage and are legal residents, this can happen to anyone in the US. This is a timely, quick read that should be read by everyone during these times. I hope this author continues to publish wonderful books like this one. show less

I was thrilled to win a copy of this book at LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. I was eager to read this book. It was one that I really wanted to win. I entered to win in early February and was informed I’d won a copy on 2/26. I received the galley copy of the book on 3/24. The book’s expected publication date is 5/19. I love getting advance copies of books. I’m very appreciative that the publisher provided this copy.

This is a special book. The narrative is poetically told show more with spare but beautiful language and it has short sections which were easy for me to read and made me want to keep reading. It was a page turner for me. There were no chapter numbers or titles; I don’t know whether or not the finished hardcover edition will have them. I could see it being either way. It was fine as it was. I liked it as it was.

I was sure that this would be my kind of book and I was right.

At this one point something happened that was so agonizingly painful that I had to stop reading, briefly. Brutal! I’m not sure why it was that moment that got to me the most. That event had a follow up later in the story and there were so many other harrowing moments throughout the book. It was a tough read.

It was heartbreaking. It was compelling. It was also at times heartwarming.

I love Sofia’s voice. I love Sofia.

I appreciate how the history gradually unfolds, and also how this family’s life progresses, what things happen with them are revealed at just the right times. I predicted some of what transpired but only because everything made sense and what happened all the way through was realistic. I’m glad that the story didn’t have less than believable outcomes. I got frustrated with the characters at times but it was just because I cared so much and wanted them to be okay. I got worried that this would dissolve into a romance between twelve year olds and was relieved when it did not. Those relationships were true to life.

There are so many flashes of hope and of love and of grace but I would not call this an uplifting book or an easy one. What to do when there are no good choices?! So many times these people are let down and in (probably more than) one case abused/betrayed, as I see it. The racism and classism and treatment of immigrants and family strife, and the various living circumstances were all difficult to read about but absolutely accurately portrayed.

The little and bigger humiliations, the mistreatment, by the system and by many individuals, including even some of the people trying to be helpful, were also hard to read.

All the characters felt like real people to me and most of them were presented in a three dimensional manner. I do think that this trio (daughter, mother, son) are luckier than some because even though I see the real problems at least there are two people (father/grandfather and husband/father) who want to help and have the means to help I felt despair at times, including at the end, even though I kept thinking that things could have been much worse. The reader is left wondering what is going to happen next. None of the three short term options are great (I have a preference for one of them) but I suppose there is hope that eventually something better will happen. There is no false hope though. This really is a great book!

If any reader of this book does not feel empathy and/or cannot extrapolate their feelings to other, real people in similar circumstances, well then in my opinion there is something wrong with you, very wrong.

There were quite a few Spanish words and phrases throughout the book and a few Arabic words. Their English meanings were usually obvious but I did look up a Spanish-English translation for one phrase. It turns out it also made perfect sense and I would have been right if I’d just guessed its meaning.

4-1/2 stars. I went back and forth whether to give this book 4 or 5 stars. I started by rounding down but the more I thought about it I think that Sofia and some of the other people will stick with me and the story is so beautifully told and it’s an important story so I finally decided to round up. show less