Sara Rahmat's life is slowly falling apart at fifteen years old. Her parents are going through a divorce, her Bibi Jan's memories are being taken by dementia and there is a huge rift between Sara and her best friend, Sam. Sara is hoping to get through the summer uneventfully and is forced to help with her mom's house flipping project. Upon entering the abandoned house on Sumner, Sara is overtaken with emotion. Then, Sara spots a young girl who bears a strong resemblance to her family, only to have the young girl disappear. As summer continues, Sara is drawn to the Sumner house and the family mystery that she feels destined to uncover there. However, in her obsession, Sara pushes away her family, her friends and even some parts of herself.
Told in a lyrical prose, House of Yesterday is a haunting, contemporary young adult story that covers so much more than coming of age. The overarching theme seems to be the question of 'who am I?' Sara asks this constantly as she tries to unravel the mystery of Sumner house. As Sara says:
" Who am I?
I am Sarah Rahmat and not.
I am American and not.
I am Afghan-Uzbek and not.
I am the product of a grand love story and not. I am and I am not. "
The writing so perfectly captures the lost, unknown, angry and in-between feeling of being a teenager through Sara's point of view. While Sara is trying to heal her own internal wounds, it seems like she is making a mess of everything in the outside world, but all she really wants to do is pay homage to the past and her families roots. I'm glad that both Sara's parents, large extended family and friends were supportive, understanding and had her back through everything that she was trying to deal with. I loved the mystery of Sumner House and how the memories of Sara's family played out as she brought the house objects from her grandmother's past. I also loved the heritage of Sara's Afghan- Uzbek family. Without it being the center point of the story, traditions, values, language and the immigrant experience was weaved throughout. I absolutely devoured this book and loved the mix of paranormal and very real issues of growing up.
Told in a lyrical prose, House of Yesterday is a haunting, contemporary young adult story that covers so much more than coming of age. The overarching theme seems to be the question of 'who am I?' Sara asks this constantly as she tries to unravel the mystery of Sumner house. As Sara says:
" Who am I?
I am Sarah Rahmat and not.
I am American and not.
I am Afghan-Uzbek and not.
I am the product of a grand love story and not. I am and I am not. "
The writing so perfectly captures the lost, unknown, angry and in-between feeling of being a teenager through Sara's point of view. While Sara is trying to heal her own internal wounds, it seems like she is making a mess of everything in the outside world, but all she really wants to do is pay homage to the past and her families roots. I'm glad that both Sara's parents, large extended family and friends were supportive, understanding and had her back through everything that she was trying to deal with. I loved the mystery of Sumner House and how the memories of Sara's family played out as she brought the house objects from her grandmother's past. I also loved the heritage of Sara's Afghan- Uzbek family. Without it being the center point of the story, traditions, values, language and the immigrant experience was weaved throughout. I absolutely devoured this book and loved the mix of paranormal and very real issues of growing up.
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