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Loading... They Called Me Wyattby Natasha Tynes
None No current Talk conversations about this book.  allegedlymari | Mar 27, 2019 | 
 Tynes’s limp debut begins on Apr. 1, 2001, the 25th birthday of Siwar Sihaila, a Jordan-born writing student at the University of Maryland. She is pushed off a roof and dies from the fall. Three years later, Siwar becomes aware of herself as a consciousness in the body of a three-year-old child born the day that she died. That child, Wyatt, grows up white in American suburbia and eventually develops an interest in the Middle East, a romance with a Jordanian woman, and a compulsion to dig into Siwar’s cold case. As he turns 25, he becomes aware of his connection to Siwar, meets her friends and family, and seeks justice for her murder. Tynes does little to explore privilege, politics, or prejudice, and instead follows the steps of an amateur detective procedural as Wyatt attempts to find out who killed the woman whose consciousness he carries. The two halves of the story sit uneasily next to each other, and the prose is flat. The 2026 setting of Wyatt’s adult life is merely sketched in with mentions of self-driving cars and digital personal assistants. Readers hoping for nuanced explorations of Wyatt and Siwar’s similarities and differences, or even for a solid murder mystery with supernatural and futuristic elements, will be disappointed
"Inventive, fresh, brilliant. Tynes showcases a unique voice, seamless prose, and profound human insights. An author to watch." --K.J. Howe, bestselling author ofThe Freedom Broker andSkyjack "An intriguing novel that had me instantly engaged." --Christina McDonald, author ofThe Night Olivia Fell When Jordanian student Siwar Salaiha is murdered on her birthday in College Park, Maryland, her consciousness survives, finding refuge in the body of a Seattle baby boy. Stuck in this speech delayed three-year old body, Siwar tries but fails to communicate with Wyatt's parents, instead she focuses on solving the mystery behind her murder. Eventually, her consciousness goes into a dormant state after Wyatt undergoes a major medical procedure. Fast-forward twenty-two years. Wyatt is a well-adjusted young man with an affinity towards the Middle East and a fear of heights. While working on his graduate degree in Middle Eastern studies, Wyatt learns about Siwar's death, which occurred twenty-five years ago. For reasons he can't explain, he grows obsessed with Siwar and spends months investigating her death, which police at the time erroneously ruled as suicide. His investigation forces him to open a door he has kept shut all his life, a spiritual connection to an unknown entity that he frequently refused to acknowledge. His leads take him to Amman, Jordan where after talking to her friends and family members and through his special connection with the deceased, he discovers a clue that unravels the mystery of her death. Will Siwar get justice after all? Fast-paced and thrilling,They Called Me Wyatt is the debut novel from a vibrant new literary voice, Jordanian-American journalist Natasha Tynes. No library descriptions found. |
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Wikipedia in English
1
This book was so original and unlike anything else I have read. Siwar made mistakes, dumb decisions any young person makes, and dreamt of a life she was unable to pursue in her native country.
The story develops in through memories and flashbacks after Siwar's death. The question of who killed her goes on throughout the entire book and it had me flipping the pages until I got to the end.
Thank you to the Author for my advanced copy of They Called me Wyatt. (