This book was reviewed by Ilke of Ilke’s Kitchen.

Lately, it seems like all i ever read is cookbooks. They are stacking up on my desk, and I'm yearning for some change to break the recipe marathons. So, when I was asked to review a novel for the Daring Kitchen, I jumped at the opportunity.

It was a nice surprise to find out that the book was Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber. Her Language of Baklava was already on my reading list, and I thought this book would be a good introduction to her writing and style.

Birds of Paradise is about a nuclear family, living in Miami, whose members have lost touch with each other after devoting themselves to work. The young protagonist is Felice, who at 13 decides to leave the family and live on the streets. The mother, Avis, is a professional pastry chef who tries to bring her daughter home but eventually gives up. After Felice's departure, the men of the family also gradually establish their lives around their work: the father, Brian, at his law practice and the son, Stanley, at the natural/healthy food store he owns and operates.

As the book approaches the story from each family member’s perspective, you get to understand each person’s psychology. For example, the narrative gives you the feeling that there was a very good reason behind Felice’s behavior and her decision to run away, even though a full explanation of her actions was withheld for most of the book. Though it kept my interest, at times I felt this presentation bordered on cliché. Other elements in the book elicited a similar reaction: the teenager running away from home, the less-appreciated sibling syndrome, a marriage in dire straits, and the danger of flirtatious coworkers are all themes that seemed a bit familiar.
One part of Abu-Jaber's storytelling that I found especially refreshing was the way she weaved many current events and trends into the storyline: Cubans in Miami, Haitian culture and the unrest in their country, environmental consciousness, the organic and local food movements, a problematic real estate market, and Hurricane Katrina were all blended into the book's setting.

Additionally, Birds of Paradise includes several secondary threads. One character that I found especially compelling was Solange, a Haitian woman who moved to the USA with her husband and carries her dramatic past with her. I loved her story. I have a feeling that Ms Abu-Jaber left Solange's story open-ended for me to put myself in her shoes and question what I would do.

Diana Abu-Jaber has a way with words. When she describes a scene, you feel as though you are there watching it as it happens. Her well-chosen words can take you into somebody else’s world. Despite my misgivings about a few cliché topics, I was able to completely lose myself in her book, questioning what I would do in the family's situation, judging them, and feeling both pity and anger at the same time. It's not the type of book that lingers in your mind long after you read the last page, however it transports you to the streets of Miami and lets you soak in the humidity while you are turning the pages. If this is what you are looking for, Birds of Paradise will not disappoint.