'Against the Loveless World' by Susan Abulhawa is a powerful novel that follows the life of Nahr, a Palestinian woman who navigates through war, displacement, and personal struggles. The story delves into Nahr's experiences as a refugee, her imprisonment, her resilience, and her involvement in active resistance activities against Israeli occupation. The book is structured to explore Nahr's past through memories while she reflects on her life in a space called the Cube, providing a poignant and honest look at the Palestinian experience.
The novel is praised for its stunningly gorgeous writing, intricate plot, and engaging momentum that captivates readers intellectually, emotionally, and politically. Through the character of Nahr and the portrayal of Palestine as a central element in the story, Abulhawa skillfully weaves a narrative that sheds light on the struggles, courage, and humanity of Palestinians, offering a captivating and eye-opening exploration of the complexities of life in the Middle East.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include sexual assault, trauma, imprisonment, and themes of violence and oppression.
Has Romance?
Romance exists, but it is interwoven with themes of struggle, survival, and finding identity.
From The Publisher:
2020 Palestine Book Awards Winner
2021 Aspen Words Literary Prize Finalist
"Susan Abulhawa possesses the heart of a warrior; she looks into the darkest crevices of lives, conflicts, horrendous injustices, and dares to shine light that can illuminate hidden worlds for us." -Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning author
In this "beautiful...urgent" novel ( The New York Times ), Nahr, a young Palestinian woman, fights for a better life for her family as she travels as a refugee throughout the Middle East.
As Nahr sits, locked away in solitary confinement, she spends her days reflecting on the dramatic events that landed her in prison in a country she barely knows. Born in Kuwait in the 70s to Palestinian refugees, she dreamed of falling in love with the perfect man, raising children, and possibly opening her own beauty salon. Instead, the man she thinks she loves jilts her after a brief marriage, her family teeters on the brink of poverty, she's forced to prostitute herself, and the US invasion of Iraq makes her a refugee, as her parents had been. After trekking through another temporary home in Jordan, she lands in Palestine, where she finally makes a home, falls in love, and her destiny unfolds under Israeli occupation. Nahr's subversive humor and moral ambiguity will resonate with fans of My Sister, The Serial Killer , and her dark, contemporary struggle places her as the perfect sister to Carmen Maria Machado's Her Body and Other Parties .
Written with Susan Abulhawa's distinctive "richly detailed, beautiful, and resonant" ( Publishers Weekly ) prose, this powerful novel presents a searing, darkly funny, and wholly unique portrait of a Palestinian woman who refuses to be a victim.
Ratings (7)
Incredible (3) | |
Loved It (4) |
Reader Stats (24):
Read It (7) | |
Want To Read (16) | |
Not Interested (1) |
1 comment(s)
I was somewhat prepared for this book to be emotional but it still manged to surprise me. This is a kind of fiction narrative I rarely read from but after this book I feel I need to broading my reading experience more. Been trying to read more diverse and its definitely an interesting journey. The book was written in such a way that while the book was emotional at times it was hard to put down.
What can you read after
Against the Loveless World?
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