I can honestly say Above Us the Milky Way is one of the best pieces of literature I’ve ever read. After a lifetime of absorbing, recording, and observing with all senses, Karimi shares richly descriptive tales of a family transplanted from their war-torn homeland to a strange new land of sun and peace. Internally though, they continue to exist in both worlds simultaneously. This collection of beautifully curated stories embraces childhood, memory, truth, joy, terror, but most acutely, LOVE. Love for nature, family, biology, books, the dead, and the stars.
Her level of craft is exceptional - distilled, composed, and organized, and at the same time playful, free, and poetic. The text is accompanied by family photos and stunning original watercolors that illuminate and elevate the storytelling in a way that neither word nor image could do alone.
I read it slowly, and savored the complex tapestry that Karimi masterfully weaves - the interconnectedness of micro and macro, the family and the cosmos.
I can’t wait to read it again…highly recommended!!!