Take a photo of a barcode or cover
erinreadstheworld 's review for:
Against the Loveless World
by Susan Abulhawa
How do I even begin to do justice to this exceptional book?
Against The Loveless World is a novel told completely from the perspective of Nahr, telling her story on her terms while locked in the Cube (a specially designed cell, holding her in solitary confinement in Israel).
Born in Kuwait to parents forced to flee Palestine, we hear the story of Nahr's life. We follow as she grows from a child, to a young and jilted wife. We watch as she supports her family through prostitution, and see how she came to be in the Cube.
Nahr is strong, resilient. She is full of grit and loyalty to her family, her friends and her identity as a Palestinian. She lives unapologetically and has a dark sense of humour. Her life is one full of trauma, yet there is love and joy too.
Through her story we see the plight of refugees and the heartbreak of exile. We see the complete injustice of life for Palestinians who didn't flee and who live in forced occupation. We see the absurd and cruel ways their lives have been colonised.
Against The Loveless World is seeped in history, from the 70s through to the current day. The Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait forces Nahr and her families to become refugees again, and they try and rebuild their lives in Jordan. We see the mass migration of Palestinians in the Middle East and the impacts on the Palestinian diaspora.
The book is full of devastating scenes but I found the one in the olive grove particularly heart-wrenching. Especially since it's just one example of the countless attacks that occur on innocent people trying to stick to their traditional ways of life.
Susan Abulhawa asks: What are the stories that history tells? From the western perspective, it's certainly not this one. Nahr sees Saddam Hussein as her hero and that is a sentiment I've never heard in western media.
Susan Abulhawa's writing is gripping and lyrical. It's raw and real. It's storytelling done to perfection.
Against The Loveless World tells a story of survival, resistance and family. A story of Palestinian culture, love and the human spirit.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Against The Loveless World is a novel told completely from the perspective of Nahr, telling her story on her terms while locked in the Cube (a specially designed cell, holding her in solitary confinement in Israel).
Born in Kuwait to parents forced to flee Palestine, we hear the story of Nahr's life. We follow as she grows from a child, to a young and jilted wife. We watch as she supports her family through prostitution, and see how she came to be in the Cube.
Nahr is strong, resilient. She is full of grit and loyalty to her family, her friends and her identity as a Palestinian. She lives unapologetically and has a dark sense of humour. Her life is one full of trauma, yet there is love and joy too.
Through her story we see the plight of refugees and the heartbreak of exile. We see the complete injustice of life for Palestinians who didn't flee and who live in forced occupation. We see the absurd and cruel ways their lives have been colonised.
Against The Loveless World is seeped in history, from the 70s through to the current day. The Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait forces Nahr and her families to become refugees again, and they try and rebuild their lives in Jordan. We see the mass migration of Palestinians in the Middle East and the impacts on the Palestinian diaspora.
The book is full of devastating scenes but I found the one in the olive grove particularly heart-wrenching. Especially since it's just one example of the countless attacks that occur on innocent people trying to stick to their traditional ways of life.
Susan Abulhawa asks: What are the stories that history tells? From the western perspective, it's certainly not this one. Nahr sees Saddam Hussein as her hero and that is a sentiment I've never heard in western media.
Susan Abulhawa's writing is gripping and lyrical. It's raw and real. It's storytelling done to perfection.
Against The Loveless World tells a story of survival, resistance and family. A story of Palestinian culture, love and the human spirit.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐