Nina Aquilina returns to her native Malta to visit her aging parents who had previously disowned her. The stay proves somewhat unexpected, as she discovers that Malta is the place where sick spirits go to heal and move on to the next stage of life. She talks with spirits and drinks beer with Jesus while trying to reclaim her identity and the culture she left behind in her youth. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The story beautifully embodies Maltese culture. Caroline Smailes immersed herself in the character and allowed the reader to experience something unique. Although Nina is Maltese, the fact that she started a family in England and was disowned by her parents caused her to lose her faith and culture. The re-exploration of its identity allows readers who are unfamiliar with Malta to become acquainted with Malta's rich culture. The dialogue includes some Maltese words, and the story takes place in historically rich locations and includes local cuisine. This is all well described in a way that connects you to the story better. What I particularly liked was the pace of the story. There were hints of monotone and repetition, especially when describing sounds. The presentation of the book was also very different. Although some reviewers didn't like this style, I found it effective in helping the concept of not being encapsulated by time. There is a lack of urgency and this adds to the diffusion effect of identity. This monotony also helped me communicate more easily with Nina. I could focus on Nina's depressive mood, rather than the complicated, bombastic writing. It's almost a double-edged sword. A technique that contributes to magical storytelling can be interpreted as alienating writing, depending on the reader. Especially in Nina's case, a person would not be so attentive and selfless to observe everything around them, but rather focus on who is speaking, and it is a rare occasion that I forgive the abundant use of tags of dialogue. I'm convinced the writer did this intentionally (just a hunch). The novel included a few chapters from the point of view of two spirits (or ghosts, whatever you want to call them). In the paper version, their pages have a black border. This is a subtle difference (it's not annoying) to distinguish the point of view of Nina and the particular ghost. However, their chapters slowed down the pace. Personally, I really liked Tilly's character and chapters, but it almost had a downside when I returned to Nina's point of view. Although it was interesting and I would love to read an entire book about Tilly's personality, I feel like the author got too immersed in her life and strayed from Nina's story . I didn't particularly like this dissociation. The role of Flavia Bellini, I don't really know what to say about it. As a reader who grew up in a Maltese-Catholic background, I was already quite familiar with the cultural and religious context. Thus, the role of Flavia was personally too long and somewhat boring. It is a historical and religious story, repeated in this novel. I didn't find it particularly helpful in the story, at least not because of the length it took. This section did distract me from the main story, but it may have been crucial given Nina's religious origins and her attempt to rediscover her identity and trace her religion in that direction. I read the book in a short time, which is a good sign..).