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A review by mcgbreads
Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This is easily one of the best, most heart-breaking yet beautiful, and perspective-widening historical fiction I've read. I tabbed and highlighted this book so much, from page one.
I've read a few nonfiction books about Palestine and the Palestinian experience, so I feel I have a little bit of knowledge to say that this book, which combines the author's personal experience as a Palestinian, research, and fiction, is a good entryway into learning a little about their history, culture, the way they think, and understanding something about what Palestinians have been experiencing for decades.
All of this is learned through Nahr, our main character and narrator, who's writing a sort of memoir from prison. It felt very personal because she speaks to the reader, so it's like sitting down with her as she bares herself and her life fully open. I loved her and she felt like a very real person to me.
It's not always an easy read because the protagonist hasn't had an easy life, so of course there's a lot of trauma and it can get bleak, but it's beautifully written, insightful, incredibly moving, and also hopeful. There's so much substance in these pages! It's about displacement, resistance, endurance, survival, love, and family.
I feel like the story explains the experience of displacement, of being unwanted in the world and being unable to just have a normal life very well. I felt the anger and the sadness of it through the character. It also explains the experience of solitary confinement so well, I felt claustrophobic sometimes. And it provides a lot of insight into Palestinian culture and history.
For example, I appreciate their connection to the land so much, it was beautiful to read about and it stood out to me. I loved learning about family traditions like planting a tree every time someone is born, and other traditions like olive harvesting in the fall, and how connected they feel to their olive trees, etc.
I don't think I can fully express how much this book touched me or make it justice, I think everyone should read it.
I've read a few nonfiction books about Palestine and the Palestinian experience, so I feel I have a little bit of knowledge to say that this book, which combines the author's personal experience as a Palestinian, research, and fiction, is a good entryway into learning a little about their history, culture, the way they think, and understanding something about what Palestinians have been experiencing for decades.
All of this is learned through Nahr, our main character and narrator, who's writing a sort of memoir from prison. It felt very personal because she speaks to the reader, so it's like sitting down with her as she bares herself and her life fully open. I loved her and she felt like a very real person to me.
It's not always an easy read because the protagonist hasn't had an easy life, so of course there's a lot of trauma and it can get bleak, but it's beautifully written, insightful, incredibly moving, and also hopeful. There's so much substance in these pages! It's about displacement, resistance, endurance, survival, love, and family.
I feel like the story explains the experience of displacement, of being unwanted in the world and being unable to just have a normal life very well. I felt the anger and the sadness of it through the character. It also explains the experience of solitary confinement so well, I felt claustrophobic sometimes. And it provides a lot of insight into Palestinian culture and history.
For example, I appreciate their connection to the land so much, it was beautiful to read about and it stood out to me. I loved learning about family traditions like planting a tree every time someone is born, and other traditions like olive harvesting in the fall, and how connected they feel to their olive trees, etc.
I don't think I can fully express how much this book touched me or make it justice, I think everyone should read it.