A review by booksonmars
Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

 "We're all born with the greatest treasures we'll ever have in life. One of those treasures is your mind, another is your heart. "

a searing and sorrowful account of one family amongst the many, and the multitude of stories they contain within. each character felt so real and raw and vivid, because they are real, and the inserts of news articles and real-life books about palestine reinforces this. the book swims seamlessly with the real world timeline, which is why i'd recommend it for someone who wants to know more about palestine's history but feels a bit intimidated by history books. it's tragic and bitter and makes you feel savaged by this family's grief, and the traumas they pass from mother to daughter, sister to brother. but there are also stories and hope and love, and these are carried too. 

"Amal, I believe that most Americans do not love as we do. It is not for any inherent deficiency or superiority in them. They live in the safe, shallow, parts that rarely push human emotions into the depths where we dwell."
"The roots of our grief coil so deeply into loss that death has come to live with us like a family member who makes you happy by avoiding you, but who is still one of the family. Our anger is a rage that Westerners cannot understand. Our sadness can make the stones weep. And the way we love is no exception."

in this book they mention how palestinians love differently and more intensely than others because of the world they grew up in (something echoed in enter ghost, one of my favourite reads from last year), and the author makes you feel these emotions on a deeper level too. there is so much pain in this book, and reading this makes it unfathomable how you can even try to argue for zionists. 

for me the writing style did interrupt the flow of the book, switching erratically from first to third person, as if unsure whether to focus on being a multi-generational tale or a bildungsroman following one family member. but i'll never forget the feeling of reading and finishing this book, especially every character written, every story told, representative of the lives of many palestinians currently. remember them, always. free palestine, always.