Synopsis

Eight years after the 9/11 attacks, Samia-Al-Sayyid an Iraqi immigrant is living a quiet life in New York City after she fled her home to avoid imminent death.

She works hard for her cold, heartless, high-strung boss, loves her seventeen-years-old-son, and cherishes the close friendship she has formed with her best friend Susan.

Nothing can go wrong, or so she thinks – until the estranged brother she left back in Iraqi shows up on her doorstep. Then she finds herself in a cab, on her way to the hospital to identify her son, a terror suspect who has blown the city, and with it her boss’ husband, and her best friend’s son. With everything lost, she is forced to flee to Iraq where she confronts her past. Will she make peace with her past? Can she get forgiveness for all the damage she has caused?

Full Circle is a contemporary fiction tale of friendship, family, and hope. It explores the devastation of loss, the great capacity to forgive and the lengths our loved ones will go to protect us.

Review

This book touches on some raw and heavy subjects – bullying, 9-11, hatred, racism, and death. But the story weaves all of these together beautifully. There are three main characters, women whose lives intersect and you can feel their pain, sorrow, and hope for a better life.

During my reading I felt for some of the characters and what they went through in their lives – Samia’s shame she endured from her family (that she left when she was very young), Melissa’s struggle with her husband and knowing her brother was stationed in the middle east, and Susan who has to deal with Melissa’s unbalanced emotions nearly every day at work and her sick daughter. While each woman’s story was pivotal to the plot advancement, you can’t help sympathize during various situations.

I had a few negatives about the book, but considering the author is not from the US, there are probably many things she didn’t realize she should adjust – such as referencing temperature as Fahrenheit vs Centigrade. There were also some inconsistencies with the dates where the 2nd chapter references 2009 but near the end, she goes back to 2008 but that is not where the story is on the timeline. There were some other grammatical errors but they did not detract from the story.

This is not a light read but it really picks up what is happening in the world today.

We give it 4 paws up

About the Author

Regina lives in a picturesque village in Kenya where she enjoys amazing landscapes, exotic wildlife, and beautiful sunsets and sunrises. She always had an active imagination. By chance, she started blogging in 2010, which rekindled her love for writing and telling stories. When not writing she enjoys watching classic movies (she’s a movie buff), going to the theater and auto shows.

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