By Zalak Shah, Caroline Dowse, Konstantopoulou and Ana Cecilia Matute
Literature has always been a way to protest, express dissent and speak out. It is now more critical than ever for us to read diversely, talk openly about world issues and give oppressed voices a platform. The issues in the Middle East are complicated, and books can help us understand these complex experiences with empathy and understanding. So, here’s a list of books that can help shed light on Palestinian experiences.
Wild Thorns by Sahar Khalifeh
Wild Thorns starts with Usama, returning to his hometown of Nablus after working in the Gulf, wanting to join the resistance against Israeli occupation. Filled with revolutionary fervour, he is disappointed to see that his fellow Palestinians don’t necessarily share his sentiments and have accepted and adapted to life under occupation.
As the story progresses, Usama is faced with some tough questions of identity, family bonds, loyalty, what it means to resist and the conflict between fighting for justice and the complex realities of everyday life. The novel presents a nuanced look at what it means to live in an area of conflict and the different ways in which individuals are affected.
Sahar Khalifeh writes a poignant and humanising tale of Palestinian society. Wild Thorns is an important piece of literature for understanding the complexity of the Palestinian struggle and the difficult choices faced by people living under those circumstances.
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
One of the first questions that arises when reading Salt Houses is why its author, Hala Alyan, was born in Kuwait. Alyan tells this story, a story of displacement, in Salt Houses.
Salt Houses follows the Yacoubs, a Palestinian family, through multiple generations and displacements. This story explores the challenges surrounding displacement, the difficulty of maintaining traditions in a new culture while having to start life again and simultaneously, the hardship of grieving the past and navigating the voids that abrupt life changes can create.
It is a challenging and moving story that delves into the topic of displacement, a recurring and current issue that the Palestinian people have experienced throughout their history.
Against The Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
Against The Loveless World portrays a female perspective on life under occupation.
This story follows Palestinian refugee Nahr in solitary confinement in Israel and is told in the style of a memoir as she reflects on the events that have brought her to this point. Nahr, like the author Susan Abulhawa, is born in Kuwait. Her parents are Palestinian refugees, and she spends her youth dreaming of the perfect life: marriage, children and the chance to run her own beauty salon. However, her husband leaves shortly after they marry, and her family become destitute, forcing Nahr to take drastic measures to help them. When the United States invades Iraq, she flees, first to Jordan and then to Palestine. She falls in love and builds a life for herself in Palestine but living under Israeli occupation becomes too much, and Nahr decides to fight back – a decision that will alter the course of her life.
Against The Loveless World is a brilliant novel that shines a light on the struggles in the Middle East, particularly in Palestine, acting as a harsh reminder of the reality of war.
You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat
You Exist Too Much is a touching narrative novel that focuses on queerness, with a particular focus on complex femininity.
The first-person narrative, alongside the vivid description of dialogue and scenery, pulls us into the book's pages, where the world of a repressed Palestinian-American young girl unravels itself. When an incident of leg exposure while in a biblical city takes place, the protagonist’s life suddenly changes, and the fact that she is a ‘she’ provides enough trouble alone in itself.
The heroine’s inner strength, one of the chief lessons taught in the novel, is initially depicted in the way she finds courage instead of shame when she is forced to refuse the identity her own sex provides her with. In her uncle’s shorts, she feels as if she were a fluid superhero who could just as easily captivate women and men alike.
With a fast-paced plot with deep roots, the scenery changes from Bethlehem to Brooklyn and then to ‘The Ledge,’ an unconventional treatment centre. Between navigating a career as a DJ, a serious relationship, and her inner healing, will there be room for the young girl to search for love and her final home?
Comments