Zeyn Joukhadar builds upon his success with The Map of Salt and Stars in his second novel, Thirty Names of Night. Intertwined stories in the style of Persian fables play together like the multiple movements of a concerto, alternating between fast-paced dramas and slow, thoughtful exposition. History and memory, art and literature, queer and immigrant identities, familial and community expectations, self-discovery and exploration: all these blend together toward a crescendo of heartbreaking brilliance readers have come to expect from this incredibly talented writer.
The stories of three generations and two family lines of Syrians/Syrian Americans are delicately pieced together in chapters that range throughout time and space. The families are entwined due to a beautiful and possibly mythical bird presumably painted by the Syrian American artist Laila Z, who disappeared more than 60 years ago. Laila's childhood and development as an artist is slowly revealed while, in the present day, a trans boy is trying to make the connection between his dead mother's ghost, their shared obsession with the semi-mythical bird and whether in finding the truth behind the missing painting of the bird, he will also find the courage to present his real self to the world.
The narrative as a whole weaves through the past and the present of many others--biological, legal and chosen family. It presents an incredibly nuanced picture of the lives and loves, threats and setbacks, and hopes and dreams of a tight-knit, fully represented, Syrian American community of immigrants and naturalized citizens, who are working toward their best lives in an increasingly fractured American landscape. --BrocheAroe Fabian, owner, River Dog Book Co.