Crossing: A love story between Italy and Palestine

by Sabrin Hasbun

WINNER OF THE FOOTNOTE X COUNTERPOINTS WRITING PRIZE 2023-24

'Vivid, compassionate, captivating' Elif Shafak

'A special and original voice, one for our times' Philippe Sands

'A moving and tender story about love and identity, and a meditation on the people who make us who we are' Dina Nayeri

A beautiful and compelling family memoir retracing the love story between Sabrin Hasbun's Palestinian father and Italian mother, and the life of her half-Italian, half-Palestinian family from the 1960s to 2020. After the loss of her mother, Sabrin tries to renegotiate her mixed identity and understand her mother's choices which led her from an oppressive childhood in a village in Tuscany to finding love and community activism in Palestine.

This is a story about overcoming grief and what it means to lose not only loved ones, but also a place in the world and a sense of belonging.

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2025

About the author

Sabrin Hasbun is a Palestinian-Italian transnational writer. She has always had to mediate between cultures and every day for her is a journey across borders.

Sabrin believes in the extremely generative power of collective creation and action and her research focuses on collaborative practices to explore histories of marginalised groups and decolonisation strategies. She has recently worked as writer, editor, translator, and trainer for several institutions around the world and published articles, both individual and collaborative, about collective creation in communities. She now works as a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Cardiff Met university, specialising in writing for liberated imaginations and alternative futures.

Crossing, Sabrin’s family memoir about displacement told through the love shared between her Italian mother and Palestinian father, was awarded the Footnote x Counterpoints Writing Prize.

Reviews

[Madhul Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, so this is how you write about the people and places you love. I cannot recommend this enough.

Also loved the naming the oppressor section in the end. Free Palestine!

[Artoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible. powerful. vivid. educational. heart wrenching. inspiring. compassionate. captivating. vital reading. could not recommend it more. a must read. once I got into it I found it so hard to put down. despite my life being worlds apart from Sabrin's, elements were so relatable. I don't think this will ever leave me.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply moving. It brought back rich memories of short times I spent working in Ramallah in the hopeful years after the Oslo Accords. More recently, I visited Florence and thus could sense better the mingling of Italian and Palestinian cultures.
I was pleased that the author found no reason, throughout the book, to name the oppressor. I knew. Everyone knows...

[tasha]

a very beautiful love letter to palestine, to italy and to the author’s late mother. it broke my heart — that feeling of disconnect from aspects of your heritage (whether that be through language, geographical distance or whatever) really hit home

anyway fuck israel fuck the IOF free palestine

[Meg Om · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly moving, poignant, informative and historic. Beautiful imagery and rich with language. I learned so much and really came to care for this family. Sabrin's love and devotion to her family history shines.

[Alex Yeary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply moving-- tragic, hilarious, heartwarming and heartstopping. Above all, a tale of family with all the complexities and deep history. From mistranslated phrases to the food motif, this will be a story I reach for often.

[Izzy Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

The type of book that will stay with you for a lifetime.

[Abigail Compton · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Oh yes, but it’s a great pleasure, isn’t it, to be spoiled, to be a daughter for a bit longer” 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[Lesley Molyneux · Rating 2 out of 5]

It would help to know at the start of each chapter which country we are in. I found it hard to get in to and sadly didn't finish it. I was so looking forward to reading this book.

[Ginger Zephyr · Rating 5 out of 5]

An immersive and beautiful story

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD. Sabrin Hasbun has written a book that resonates so deeply on so many levels -- longing and belonging all entertwined in a bittersweet joy. Grab a copy of this gorgeous book.