All the Ways We Lied - Aida Zilelian - ★★.¾

AUTHOR: Aida Zilelian

GENRE: Literary Fiction

RATING: 3.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: A contemporary fiction focussed on a dysfunctional Armenian family. A brilliant first half and a wavering second half. If only I could recommend it just for the initial 50% or so!

Story Synopsis:

Queens, New York. The Manoukians are an Armenian family with barely anything in common with each other.

Gabriel – the patriarch – has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Takouhi – the matriarch – has an obsessive need to dominate everyone in her life.

Eldest daughter Kohar, 38, is blessed in her marriage to American Jonathan, but try as they may, they don’t have a child. This affects Kohar’s sense of self-worth.

Middle daughter Lucine is stuck in a loveless marriage and is just a few dollars away from losing all.

Youngest daughter Azad is a free spirit who seeks escape from the pressure of finding a good Armenian boy.

The story focusses on the internal and interpersonal dealings of all the above characters, with the narration coming from all their perspectives in third person.

Bookish Yays:

😍 Some really great descriptive writing and quotable quotes. The writing doesn’t make it seem like a debut.

😍 Well-defined characters, each having their own flaws and quirks and strengths. Even the minor characters have distinct and realistic personalities. The characterisations seemed authentic in the first half.

😍 Kohar’s situation as the elder daughter resonated much with me. Her husband Jonathan was also an excellent character, breaking the mould of a typical “son-in-law from another country” stereotype. Their complicated family dynamics with each other and the rest of the family are the highlight of the book.

😍 The depiction of Armenian culture and beliefs – detailed and genuine. Perfect for an OwnVoices work.

😍 Though primarily a narrative of mothers and daughters, the fathers in the story also have an important role to play, whether in a major or a minor capacity. Gabriel is a trend-breaker in terms of his depiction. He was one of the best characters in the book for me, though he was not at all perfect.

Bookish Mixed Bags:

😐 Despite the slow pace, I was hooked on to the plot for the first thirteen chapters that comprise Part 1. (The book has twenty-four chapters overall.) Part 1 is excellent in its character detailing, writing, and plot. It easily scored well, and I even began drafting my 4.5 star review in my head. But after this came Part 2, and my rating slid steadily downwards. It would still have stopped at 3.75 were it not for the final 25%, which killed the book for me.

😐 There are too many characters at the start but as they are introduced well, the going becomes easier as we move ahead.

😐 Lucine’s arc started great but I wish we could have had more answers about her past and future. The potential of her character was never fully realised.

😐 The story spans several months (years?) but we don’t get an exact time reference. Though this doesn’t affect comprehension THAT much, I would have appreciated clearer references to the passage of time. I am still not sure which year this book is set in, though it’s definitely not too historical.

😐 The story comes to us in the shifting narrative perspectives of the five Manoukians. It takes a little time getting used to the jumps, but after a while, it is easier to go with the narrative flow. Every important character getting an equal voice also means that we get to know them all well, and can’t decide who is more important than the other.

Bookish Nays:

😣 The pacing is too slow, even for a literary fiction.

😣 The plot jump from part 1 to part 2 is too big. It took me a while to settle into the new direction of the story, because most of the characters seemed to have changed personalities in this section.

😣 I couldn't connect much with Azad’s character as she was too Bohemian for my liking, and her arc contained many lifestyle choices I don’t personally like. This isn’t a book flaw but my personal preference.

😣 The final quarter went completely haywire. I could see no logic to such a drastic plot development, a situation not even connected to what was established before about that character. If the ending had been worth the while, my rating would have been higher.

All in all, I did like a few things about the book, with my favourite being the insights about Armenian culture and the tricky parent-child dynamics. If only the latter half had as much to offer as the initial section, I would have been happier to recommend this as a must-read OwnVoices work. As it stands though, it is a mixed bag for me. Mine is somewhat an outlier review, so do read the other readers’ opinions before you take a call on this work.

2.75 stars. (First half – 4.5, next quarter – 2-3 stars, final quarter – not worth a mention, sorry. I'd happily cull this from the book.)

My thanks to Turner Publishing Company, author Aida Zilelian and NetGalley for the DRC of “All the Ways We Lied”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.