It’s the second day of the week! It’s also time for a Top 5 Tuesday update. Top 5 Tuesdays was initially created by Shanah @ the Bionic Bookworm but is now currently being hosted by Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads.

This week’s topic: Top 5 books with a pronoun in the title

My Friends by Hisham Matar

Snippet from my Review: My Friends vividly captured the intricacies of life living in exile, the pains of detaching from what was once home, finding new connections despite the whimsical actions of a select few, and the questions of identity that linger as one cuts off connection from the past. It studies our complex ideas of nationalism and the various definitions of home. It is also an homage to literature and to London. But at its heart, My Friends is a complex character study and an extensive probe into the intricacies of friendships, male friendships in particular. Despite the stark dichotomies in their personalities and interests, Khaled loves his friends. He observes their rivalry while getting upset when being excluded. Friendship is rarely monochromatic. Hosam reflects “Friends, what a word. Most use it about those they hardly know. When it is a wondrous thing.” Matar’s third novel, My Friends is deeply-observed and thought-provoking, deserving of the accolades it has received.

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez

Snippet from my Review: In the lush tapestry that Enríquez adeptly wove together, wealth, power, and evil figured prominently. They were the primary factors that steered the narrative forward. While these are elements that have been recurrent in other books and films, Enríquez gave an astounding account that brings the spotlight to her country of birth’s contemporary history. She touches on seminal historical phases rarely captured in fiction, at least, from the Anglophone reader’s perspective. While Enríquez’s storytelling and vivid imagery held the story together, the novel, at times, crumbles on the weight of the ambition. The story tended to meander. Unimportant details and backstories barely moved the story forward. There were loose portions and uneven pacing that further bloated an otherwise brilliant novel.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Snippet from my Review: The narrative’s biggest theme is the liberation of women. Because of gender roles, which is more common all over the world than we originally thought, women are relegated to roles that men have set for them. However, Janie fought against these prejudices. When she learned that she was just a trophy wife, she did all she could to fight against the mold. When everyone was judging her turned a blind eye. When everyone was questioning her choices, she proudly kept on. She proved to everyone that she is a woman who is the master of her own life, a woman who is free to choose what she wants and then suffer the consequences from it. Just like all of us, she made these choices and stood by them.

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

Snippet from my Review: Backman again paints the vivid portrait of a community where obscured fault lines continue to create rifts between its denizens. The myopic views of the denizens were persistent. When a character was revealed to be homosexual, the initial reaction was disdain. He was cognizant that he was going to be viewed as an anomaly because the town viewed sexuality as black or white. Zackell’s case also underlined the prejudices and deeply ingrained misogyny that permeate small towns. Because of her demeanor, the townspeople considered Zackell a lesbian even without asking her about her sexual orientation. These concerns, however, barely make it to the surface as the characters also struggle with the sense of isolation within the community. The denizens tend to keep their struggles to themselves rather than discuss them openly.

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

Snippet from my Review: While reading the book, I can’t help but smile, a lot. This is one of the books that you don’t want to read in public because people might frown upon your continuous snickering. It is an enjoyable read, in spite of its dark and heavy humor. The satire and the vivid historical elements were simply entertaining and even educational. It is retelling world history (and mankind in general) in layman’s terms – less tragic, more comedy, more satirical. It is a book that one can either critically analyze or just take it for what it is. For me, I’ll go for the latter. Nothing compares to an entertaining book that makes you laugh endlessly because of its absurdities and exaggerations.