It's been a while since I've read a book set in a culture so widely different from my own. Etaf Rum does an excellent job transporting the reader to a Palestinian culture both in the Middle East and in America, slipping in phrases, words and cultural references into a cohesive narrative. While I believe that anyone can write about anything, own voices books bring an authentic voice that is very difficult to imitate without some level of lived experience. My overall impression of the story was that it was honest. It was neither hypercritical or sensitive but just honest.⁠
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Certain moments that stood out for me were the collection of virginal proof, so casually expectant, and Isra' s struggles in parenthood.⁠
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The opening lines hooked me and I was excited to delve deeper into this book, however, I was disappointed to find that that was the beginning and end of the first-person narrative. The narrative also, ironically, began to wane at the moment Deya begins to find her voice. The careful internal world-building and characterisation were sacrificed for too much expositional dialogue. The interest I had in the characters at the beginning started to lag as the storyline entered the realm of intrigue and interminable cling-hanging from Sarah's character.⁠
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It is an insightful foray into the world of a strict Palestinian family and the agony of making questionable decisions to protect the ones we love. Ultimately an okay read.⁠