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Asad's Secret: A Novel of Gaza
Not yet published
Expected 16 Jun 26A window into a world most people see depicted only in seconds-long news reports, one that we all should look through in order to recognize the genuine humanity within.
Asad lives in Gaza, in a tiny house, on a narrow street pocked by half-destroyed buildings, in a camp that looks shabby to him and feels claustrophobic. He walks virtually the same route every day to his summer job at a printing press, passing the prison that holds his father, for reasons that have not been fully explained to him. As the oldest son, he feels the weight of responsibility for his seven brothers, his sisters, and his Ummi, who wants him to study hard and excel in school, as all mothers do. Moody and reserved Asad has few friends, and fewer distractions. Thank goodness for Um Fawzi, a feisty, cigarette-smoking old woman, who’s the only one who seems willing to tell it like it is, sharply enough, and with a biting sense of humor that snaps him out of his fog sometimes. There’s also Houriya, a lovely and smart girl, who brings him books to read and sometimes prompts him to think about a future that he can’t truly imagine. There seems to be no escaping. But Asad has a secret, too, a mysterious black bag that holds something important that he keeps hidden from everyone.
This rare novel by and about Palestinians showcases this boy whose life is never easy, even as it’s filled with the longing, the bruised hopes, and the frustrations of any seventeen-year-old.
Translated by Sawad Hussain, who was a Princeton translator in residence and has won numerous awards for her work.
Asad lives in Gaza, in a tiny house, on a narrow street pocked by half-destroyed buildings, in a camp that looks shabby to him and feels claustrophobic. He walks virtually the same route every day to his summer job at a printing press, passing the prison that holds his father, for reasons that have not been fully explained to him. As the oldest son, he feels the weight of responsibility for his seven brothers, his sisters, and his Ummi, who wants him to study hard and excel in school, as all mothers do. Moody and reserved Asad has few friends, and fewer distractions. Thank goodness for Um Fawzi, a feisty, cigarette-smoking old woman, who’s the only one who seems willing to tell it like it is, sharply enough, and with a biting sense of humor that snaps him out of his fog sometimes. There’s also Houriya, a lovely and smart girl, who brings him books to read and sometimes prompts him to think about a future that he can’t truly imagine. There seems to be no escaping. But Asad has a secret, too, a mysterious black bag that holds something important that he keeps hidden from everyone.
This rare novel by and about Palestinians showcases this boy whose life is never easy, even as it’s filled with the longing, the bruised hopes, and the frustrations of any seventeen-year-old.
Translated by Sawad Hussain, who was a Princeton translator in residence and has won numerous awards for her work.
160 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 16, 2026
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25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Asad’s Secret touched me in ways I didn’t expect. It was different from both my expectations and my usual tastes.
Asad’s Secret is about a boy who lives in a small house with a tin roof. He is the eldest brother in a family of eight children. His father is in prison, and Asad works in a printing press during the summer. He feels trapped, as though he is in a prison himself. He doesn’t understand why he has to face the harsher side of life while his classmates live easier ones. He doesn’t want to be the eldest son and takes no pride in it, because it means carrying the responsibility of his entire family. With his father gone, he is the man of the house. He feels suffocated by his life, and the person who pulls him out of these brooding thoughts and guides him is an old woman named Um Fawzi.
I felt that Asad’s Secret had a repetitive start. The reader is immediately shown Asad’s thoughts and feelings, which creates an unsettling tone, especially since they are not happy ones. However, it gradually grew on me, and I found the connection I initially lacked. The book made me feel grateful for my parents, my home, and my childhood. Even though it is only about 160 pages long, it felt much heavier. It shows a side of the world we often don’t see, ignore, or hear about without fully understanding its depth.
I appreciated the way the author brought out and handled various themes. For instance, the preference for having a baby boy in certain families. While this is not uncommon, I liked how the author portrayed the pressure placed on mothers and the weight of responsibility that comes with being the eldest son in such a household. I also liked how the author shared the story of Ummi, Asad’s mother, and her hopes for all her children, both daughters and sons.
Most of all, I liked how the story concluded with Houriya, the girl who brings books to him. I am not usually drawn to love interests with significant differences in background. Don’t get me wrong. This is because I’ve seen many such relationships end badly, and reading them can make me uneasy. However, I appreciated that Asad was aware of this and handled it with maturity. He understood the risks and realities of such a relationship.
Lastly, coming to our protagonist, even though I didn’t like him at first, he ultimately showed the drive, responsibility, and maturity needed to pursue what he wanted instead of lamenting his living conditions.
Asad’s Secret is about a boy who lives in a small house with a tin roof. He is the eldest brother in a family of eight children. His father is in prison, and Asad works in a printing press during the summer. He feels trapped, as though he is in a prison himself. He doesn’t understand why he has to face the harsher side of life while his classmates live easier ones. He doesn’t want to be the eldest son and takes no pride in it, because it means carrying the responsibility of his entire family. With his father gone, he is the man of the house. He feels suffocated by his life, and the person who pulls him out of these brooding thoughts and guides him is an old woman named Um Fawzi.
I felt that Asad’s Secret had a repetitive start. The reader is immediately shown Asad’s thoughts and feelings, which creates an unsettling tone, especially since they are not happy ones. However, it gradually grew on me, and I found the connection I initially lacked. The book made me feel grateful for my parents, my home, and my childhood. Even though it is only about 160 pages long, it felt much heavier. It shows a side of the world we often don’t see, ignore, or hear about without fully understanding its depth.
I appreciated the way the author brought out and handled various themes. For instance, the preference for having a baby boy in certain families. While this is not uncommon, I liked how the author portrayed the pressure placed on mothers and the weight of responsibility that comes with being the eldest son in such a household. I also liked how the author shared the story of Ummi, Asad’s mother, and her hopes for all her children, both daughters and sons.
Most of all, I liked how the story concluded with Houriya, the girl who brings books to him. I am not usually drawn to love interests with significant differences in background. Don’t get me wrong. This is because I’ve seen many such relationships end badly, and reading them can make me uneasy. However, I appreciated that Asad was aware of this and handled it with maturity. He understood the risks and realities of such a relationship.
Lastly, coming to our protagonist, even though I didn’t like him at first, he ultimately showed the drive, responsibility, and maturity needed to pursue what he wanted instead of lamenting his living conditions.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I went into Asad’s Secret expecting something intense and headline-driven. What I found instead was a quiet, character-focused story about responsibility, ambition, and the weight of family expectation.
Asad is intelligent and driven. He wants more from life and clearly has the ability to achieve it. But he is also one of eight children in a struggling household, where duty comes first. The central tension is not explosive or dramatic. It is internal. It is the constant pull between wanting to build your own future and needing to support the one you were born into.
At times I caught myself reacting through my own “normal” lens, thinking in terms of freedom and choice that simply are not equally available to everyone. That reflection became part of the reading experience. The novel quietly shifts perspective. It does not romanticise hardship and it does not reduce Asad to a symbol. He feels like a boy trying to navigate constraint with resilience and determination.
The ending is emotional without being overly dramatic. It left me thinking about freedom, opportunity, and how much of life depends on starting point versus personal will.
A thoughtful and reflective read that lingers more in the mind than in adrenaline.
Asad is intelligent and driven. He wants more from life and clearly has the ability to achieve it. But he is also one of eight children in a struggling household, where duty comes first. The central tension is not explosive or dramatic. It is internal. It is the constant pull between wanting to build your own future and needing to support the one you were born into.
At times I caught myself reacting through my own “normal” lens, thinking in terms of freedom and choice that simply are not equally available to everyone. That reflection became part of the reading experience. The novel quietly shifts perspective. It does not romanticise hardship and it does not reduce Asad to a symbol. He feels like a boy trying to navigate constraint with resilience and determination.
The ending is emotional without being overly dramatic. It left me thinking about freedom, opportunity, and how much of life depends on starting point versus personal will.
A thoughtful and reflective read that lingers more in the mind than in adrenaline.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Review submitted to School Library Journal for potential professional publication.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews