Beside the Sickle Moon: A Palestinian Story

by Thaer Husien

Beside the Sickle Moon is a near future noir based on Israel's occupation of Palestine. Set in the year 2065, this literary activism tells a first person narrative through Laeth Awad, a Palestinian who lives above his convenience store experiencing time pass through smoke clouds with his cousin Aylul. One night upon returning to their village from Ramallah they encounter an Israeli checkpoint within the buffer zone that hadn't been there before. It isn't long until the two stumble upon Israel's plans to construct a luxury hotel for incoming settlers, Ma'al Luz. Demolition crews and military personnel are due to fulfill this contract in the months to come and with them as overseer is the infamous Meir Cohen, a Mossad operative who played a key role in the fall of Gaza

Aylul believes from their father, a Hamas militant who died in the battle for Jericho, that only the threat of annihilation breeds the best of human action. They use their contacts to connect with Ibn Walid, leader of the now destitute organization that hides in tunnels throughout the country. A deal is struck but first they must prove themselves by stealing from thieves. Aylul double-crosses Ibn Walid in favor of the far more powerful Fatah, who grant them strength to defend their village from occupation. With these resources at hand Aylul forms Al Mubarizun, a group crowning themselves Palestine's final resistance.

Laeth doubts the existence of a future, lost in philosophical ambivalence as he follows his cousin into the depths of guerrilla warfare. He questions the futility of resistance when all former allies have normalized relations with Israel. And what of the innocents on the other side of the Wall who had no say in where they were born? Though a minority of the population, he is not alone in this sentiment. Palestinian youth empathize with this logic enough to create a new social movement, the Forgotten Ones. Coining the derogatory term that their critics slung, the grassroots NGO advocates for a peaceful transition to Israel's one-state conquest where most Palestinians hear whimpers of surrender.

253 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2023

Reviews

[Nichole · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Knafeh tastes sweeter when there's unity."

This book is set some time in the future with advanced tech and climate refugees en masse. Palestine is still occupied.

The story follows Laeth who has connections to the Palestinian resistance but who still cannot commit to any one path. Laeth’s journey is one I think many could understand and relate to. He wants to hold himself back, perhaps because he is afraid of what he is capable of. He knows a life of occupation and will be happy just to live a safe and comfortable life with his loved ones and his store and neighborhood. Laeth gets swept up in a path that his soul is constantly questioning. Will he fight for comfort or liberation? This is his journey and it’s a painful one.

I think the writing was great and in the second half of the book I found it hard to put down. I would have read so much more of laeths journey and the setting.

A recommended read for Palestinian resistance literature

[Camilla_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book is set in an imagined future, the dystopian feel of it is echoed in today's occupation of Palestine. Beside The Sickle Moon shows a West Bank still under brutal military oppression from the Zionist entity, juxtaposed with futuristic tech. At times a difficult read, tackling the protagonist's desperate and seemingly futile struggle against their oppressors, this is nonetheless an important work. BTSM humanises the Palestinian resistance, showing the reality so many face right now, and why they resist in the first place. If we can take anything away from Husien's work, it's that we do all in our power to make sure what he has imagined does not come to pass.

Thank you to the author for sending me a digital copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beside The Sickle Moon is a speculative fiction work set in Palestine. It follows Laeth, a Palestinian trying to figure out where he fits in the Resistance, while ultimately just trying to survive and live. At times, Laeth could be described as a reluctant freedom fighter. He does not fight out of passion and love for a cause, but is pushed to fight because of the horrors of the occupation. While the book contains some futuristic technology, so much of the book feels like the Palestine of today. About a people who love their land and culture, and simply want to be allowed to exist.

One thing I really loved about the book is how diverse the Palestinian Resistance is in the book. Specifically, there is a trans Palestinian quite high up in the Resistance. This contrasts so much with the rainbow-washing of Israel, that claims that queer people don't exist or would be unsafe in Palestine (ironic when queer Palestinians are included in the current genocide because they are Palestinian, not because they are queer). Other reviewers are correct in saying this book really humanizes the resistance.

Overall, this is an important work of speculative fiction that I would recommend.

[Rian · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10
Aktivisme Palestina di masa depan berputar di sekitar resistance dan keputus-asaan. Plotnya cukup seru tapi tidak begitu menegangkan. Karakter yang juga tidak terlalu spesial