B As in Beirut

by Iman Humaydan

The four interlocking narratives that make up this extraordinary novel belong to four women who live in the same apartment building in Beirut during the Lebanese civil war. There is Lilian with her two children, desperate to emigrate, with or without her husband. Warda cannot recover from the loss of her daughter, and finds that no matter how many times she goes over it, the story of her life no longer makes sense. Camilia has returned to Beirut to make a film about her former homeland, but becomes irrevocably caught up in its violence. Maha remains in the building even as her family, her neighbors, her city and country fracture around her. As the war continues each day, unending, divisions between past and present begin to break down. Younes’s intimate, haunting attention to these women’s lives creates an unforgettable portrait not only of her characters but of the nature of war. Here, loss is the city’s most constant resident, and its story will inevitably overcome all the rest.

Genres: Lebanon, Fiction, Middle East

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2007

About the author

Born in 1956, Iman Humaydan studied sociology at the American University in Beirut. She is a writer, anthropologist and journalist and has a weekly column in the Lebanese newspaper Assafir. Her novels have been translated into English, French, German, Italian and Dutch.

Reviews

[arsen hakobian. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Յունեսից 2րդ գիրքն էր ու համարյա նույն տպավորություններն ունեմ

դե իմ կարծիքով, ինքը գրական արժեքով մի փոքր թույլ գործ ա ու եսիմ ինչ չի, իրանից ոչինչ չես քաղի, չես պահի քեզ՝ բացի էն հայրենասիրությունից ու բնօրրանում ապրելու տենչանքից, որով Յունեսը լցրել ա իրա հերոսների կյանքը։

մի խոսքով՝ սա մի փոքրիկ ժամանակի վատնում ա

[Seda Hovhannisyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Չորս պատմություն 4 տարբեր, բայց նույն մերձավոր արևելյան հայրենիքը կիսող կանանց մասին, ովքեր իրենց կամքից անկախ` հայտնվել են քաղաքացիական պատերազմի կիզակետում։ Սյուժեում Լիբանանն ա` իր սառնասրտությամբ ու մայրիներով, իր ամենահամեղ խոհանոցով ու ամենաանողոք ռադիկալներով, իր ամառային կիզիչ արևով ու արժեզրկված լիրայով:

[Hester · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as part of the #invisiblecitiesproject where we're reading translated fiction from three countries a month.

The book is four interlinked short stories about four women with connections to the same apartment block in Beruit during the civil war . There is deliberately little exposition but war and suffering are cast as the common cataclysms that disrupts and damages them all .. anxiety and madness , promiscuity and violence , passivity and fantasy are the result of the terrifying unpredictability of their lives as they seek sanctuary in the country or abroad or in a nostalgia of the past .

In many ways their lives stand in for the city itself where nothing makes sense and continued existence becomes inexplicable to outsiders ..so that only those who remain can understand the necessity of madness to escape reality

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, well woven novel about the impact of the Lebanese Civil War on four different women in Beirut. Enjoyed it!

[Georges Saade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imam’s novel captivities many of the struggles faced by Lebanese women during the civil war. I honestly could not put down the book and got emotional at many points as someone who has lived in Lebanon. The raw emotion portrayed by each character resonates deeply with the feeling of belonging to somewhere you cannot be. The unwavering spirit of the Lebanese people and their dedication to living a normal life in abnormal circumstances is a testament to who they truly are.

[Lilia Stepanyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing a review about this book is challenging.
It was interesting, well-written, and evoked a sense of sadness. It depicted the futility of war and how it affects people differently. Reading it reminded me of the recent war experience in Armenia and the loss of young lives. Ultimately, it left me with a lingering feeling of pain and absence in life.

[Maria do Socorro Baptista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narrado sob quatro diferentes pontos de vista, este livro nos leva a Beirut em um momento tenso, violento, desesperador, tudo visto pelos olhares de quatro mulheres, cujas narrativas se intrelaçam. Muito bom, muito rico, um grande aprendizado.

[Megan Geissler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The voices of the 4 characters weren't very distinct. Had a hard time finishing.

[Lika · Rating 2 out of 5]

რამდენი რამ შეიძლებოდა ყოფილიყო ამ წიგნში...

[Natalie Goletiani · Rating 4 out of 5]

“დედამიწის ზურგზე ჩემი ადგილი არსად არაა ჩემი ბინის გარდა”

[Sandro Mamuladze · Rating 3 out of 5]

წავა რა…

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignant and heart wrenching, "B as in Beirut" connects the lives of four women living during Beirut's war in the 1980's. Each has lost someone irreplaceable as a result of the conflict, each in their own way struggles to survive without them and continue on with their lives in the midst of the bombed out buildings they used to call home. "B as in Beirut" is more of a collective memoir of pain than a story with a discernible plot line with a defined ending. Pain is endless, and the book reflects this. There is no clear resolution, only the struggle to survive through mental and physical anguish remains. Beautifully written and cathectic, "B as in Beirut" is a worthwhile look into suffering.

[Carlos]

yane