[Anzeige/Rezension] They Called me Wyatt - Natascha Tynes

Siwar is murdered. But for some reason, her soul survives the attack and she finds refugee in a three year old boy. Over twenty years later, her consciousness is almost gone and Wyatt, by now a young man, is working on his degree in Middle Eastern studies. He hears about the death of a young Jordanian student named Siwar, which happened years ago, and feels a strange connection to her case. He heads to Jordan, to talk to friends and family of hers, to find out the truth about her death.

I received a advanced complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Honestly I don't like the Cover. But something triggered me and I checked out the description. And what can I say. I was hooked. Partly because I visited Jordan a couple of years ago and fell in love with this country and culture. Also I really liked the idea of the book.

Let’s be honest, there is a weird thing about a grownup in a toddlers body. The author did a splendid job, still it was I bit weird for me. At least the first couple of chapters.

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Siwar is a very likable person. I really enjoyed the jumps to the past and Siwar telling the reader about her childhood and teens in Amman, Jordan. I’ve been to Jordan (sadly not Amman, I only got to see the airport of Amman) and really loved this country. It has a certain flair which is hard to explain. (Find out more on this German article on my blog).

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The author captured Siwar great, I had a clear picture of her in my head and I was cheering for her all along. The story starts with her murder and the only thing I was thinking on those first pages was: Why? And Who?
Well, you have to read, to find out.

The story had me hooked within one chapter. I immediately liked the characters and the way the story was told. Also I find the idea to be quiet unique.

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Between the lines of the story, the book focuses on racial clichés and the question of ‘belonging’. Siwar has a hard time adapting to her live in the US and has to overcome some of the clichés which are stuck in her head about Americans. I really enjoyed these parts of the book, because it brought me a lot closer to Siwar. As a ‘boring’ Caucasian Female, I (luckily) never experienced any racial related rejection or discrimination, therefore I was enjoying to read more about Siwars experiences.

Don’t mistake it for a crime story. It’s not. Not really at least. Yes the murder of Siwar is what the story is built on, but the book didn’t feel like a crime-story to me. There is a twist coming up but not as in those thriller-books where you get all like wohaaaaaaaaa wtf. It felt more like deserved closure!

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A very entertaining read! I loved the Arabic flair and the unique story. I’ll miss Siwar and Wyatt.

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