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The Philistine
The vibrant story of a passionate love affair between Nadia, a Palestinian woman, and Manal, an Egyptian woman, which compels Nadia to stay in Cairo long enough to rediscover her father and herself.
Nadia Eid doesn't know it yet, but she's about to change her life. It's the end of the '80s and she hasn't seen her Palestinian father since he left Montreal years ago to take a job in Egypt, promising to bring her with him. But now she's 25 and he's missing in action, so she takes matters into her own hands.
Booking a short vacation from her boring job and Québecois boyfriend, she calls her father from the Nile Hilton in downtown Cairo. But nothing goes as planned and, stumbling around, Nadia wanders into an art gallery where she meets Manal, a young Egyptian artist who becomes first her guide and then her lover. Through this unexpected relationship, Nadia rediscovers her roots, her language, and her ambitions, as her father demonstrates the unavoidable destiny of becoming a Philistine--the Arabic word for Palestinian.
The novel delicately hints at the societal tensions that will lead to the 2011 Egyptian Revolution while depicting a rich and surprising Cairo rarely seen.
Nadia Eid doesn't know it yet, but she's about to change her life. It's the end of the '80s and she hasn't seen her Palestinian father since he left Montreal years ago to take a job in Egypt, promising to bring her with him. But now she's 25 and he's missing in action, so she takes matters into her own hands.
Booking a short vacation from her boring job and Québecois boyfriend, she calls her father from the Nile Hilton in downtown Cairo. But nothing goes as planned and, stumbling around, Nadia wanders into an art gallery where she meets Manal, a young Egyptian artist who becomes first her guide and then her lover. Through this unexpected relationship, Nadia rediscovers her roots, her language, and her ambitions, as her father demonstrates the unavoidable destiny of becoming a Philistine--the Arabic word for Palestinian.
The novel delicately hints at the societal tensions that will lead to the 2011 Egyptian Revolution while depicting a rich and surprising Cairo rarely seen.
322 pages, Paperback
First published April 12, 2018
8 people are currently reading
727 people want to read
About the author
Leila Marshy
3 books28 followersAuthor of The Philistine (LLP, 2018), My Thievery of the People (Baraka Books, 2025), and Razing Palestine: Punishing Solidarity and Dissent in Canada (Baraka Books, 2025), Leila Marshy's Palestinian father was exiled from his home in 1948, never to return. During the First Intifada, Marshy lived in Cairo and worked for the Palestinian Red Crescent and the Palestinian Mental Health Association. She has been a journalist, a baker, a chicken farmer, a graphic designer, and a community & political organizer. In 2011 she founded a groundbreaking group in Montreal that brought the Hasidic community together in dialogue with their neighbours. Her stories and journalism has been published in Canadian and American media. She lives in Montreal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
March 20, 2022
This book didn't draw me in right away, but it eventually won me over, hard. It's an #OwnVoices story about Nadia, a queer Palestinian-Canadian woman who travels to Egypt in the late 1980s to track down her father whom she has not seen in years. She finds and gets to know him anew, but she also meets and falls in love with an Egyptian woman artist, Manal.
There's a wonderful journey of Nadia reconnecting with her Palestinian heritage, as she meets many other Palestinians (taxi drivers, booksellers, a doctor) who don't hesitate to accept her as Palestinian and reach out to connect. Nadia is humbled and rejuvenated. There is of course also her father, whom she slowly begins to see as a flawed adult human being, instead of only the father who has disappointed her.
The story is set mostly in Cairo, which is a complicated, contradictory character unto itself. I have never been there, but the city really came alive in my mind as I read this book. The beauty of the art, food, generosity of people, poverty, stink of animals and defecation in the street, chaotic traffic, all the details of everyday life in Cairo. Manal is Nadia's guide as well as for the reader, and she is a passionate, opinionated, and lively one. I loved her.
Beautiful writing; thoughtful, nuanced content about art, family, conencting with your heritage, Palestinian and Egyptian cultures and politics, Arabic language, and the generosityof strangers. I really loved this book, and am sad it sat on my shelf for over a year before I finally read it!
Full review on my blog!
There's a wonderful journey of Nadia reconnecting with her Palestinian heritage, as she meets many other Palestinians (taxi drivers, booksellers, a doctor) who don't hesitate to accept her as Palestinian and reach out to connect. Nadia is humbled and rejuvenated. There is of course also her father, whom she slowly begins to see as a flawed adult human being, instead of only the father who has disappointed her.
The story is set mostly in Cairo, which is a complicated, contradictory character unto itself. I have never been there, but the city really came alive in my mind as I read this book. The beauty of the art, food, generosity of people, poverty, stink of animals and defecation in the street, chaotic traffic, all the details of everyday life in Cairo. Manal is Nadia's guide as well as for the reader, and she is a passionate, opinionated, and lively one. I loved her.
Beautiful writing; thoughtful, nuanced content about art, family, conencting with your heritage, Palestinian and Egyptian cultures and politics, Arabic language, and the generosityof strangers. I really loved this book, and am sad it sat on my shelf for over a year before I finally read it!
Full review on my blog!
November 19, 2023
I read this book several years ago, and it has stayed with me all this time. I didn’t use GR at the time, and I decided to revisit it for obvious reasons - the author and the main character are both queer Palestinian-Canadian women, and these identities play a central role in the book.
For full disclosure, I am friends with the author. I’m always a bit nervous when reading something by someone I know - what if I don’t like it, what will I say? I was completely blow away when I read this book, and strongly recommend it.
Nadia, the protagonist in this book, is Palestinian and Canadian, and grew up in Montreal with her Canadian mother. She travels to Egypt to visit her father, and ends up staying and developing a relationship with Manal, a young artist working in a gallery.
This book is a beautiful coming of age story about the complexity of family and identity. I loved the bi awakening and the sapphic love story, though this is not a capital R Romance. Cairo is so alive in this story, the sense of place was very powerful. Tensions in Palestine play a role in the book, and reading it is a reminder of the many injustices that Palestinians have faced for a very long time.
I first read this book on a beach while on vacation. I remember that I was crying when I finished, and looked up to see that the previously sunny sky had clouded over and it had started gently raining. I was so absorbed in the story that I completely forgot about my surroundings.
For full disclosure, I am friends with the author. I’m always a bit nervous when reading something by someone I know - what if I don’t like it, what will I say? I was completely blow away when I read this book, and strongly recommend it.
Nadia, the protagonist in this book, is Palestinian and Canadian, and grew up in Montreal with her Canadian mother. She travels to Egypt to visit her father, and ends up staying and developing a relationship with Manal, a young artist working in a gallery.
This book is a beautiful coming of age story about the complexity of family and identity. I loved the bi awakening and the sapphic love story, though this is not a capital R Romance. Cairo is so alive in this story, the sense of place was very powerful. Tensions in Palestine play a role in the book, and reading it is a reminder of the many injustices that Palestinians have faced for a very long time.
I first read this book on a beach while on vacation. I remember that I was crying when I finished, and looked up to see that the previously sunny sky had clouded over and it had started gently raining. I was so absorbed in the story that I completely forgot about my surroundings.
November 9, 2018
A sensitive, artistically wrought story on several levels, The Philistine had me eager to return to it time after time. It was one of those reads that turned out better than expected, although I certainly didn’t have low expectations for it. One never knows with a first novel. Will it be interesting and well-written enough that you want to read the author’s next book? Or do you hope (or even care if) the author never writes another word? I can definitely state that The Philistine and Ms. Marshy fall into the first category. A five-star debut. Full review here: http://bit.ly/thephilistine
January 7, 2024
fuck that hurt
November 8, 2023
A wonderful wonderful book that deserves lots more readers!
March 2, 2021
A young girl Nadia wishing to know her father better travels to Cairo to meet him. While in Cairo she falls in love with an Egyptian woman. A beautifully narrated story of love, identity, duty and cultural expectations with Cairo as an exotic back drop.
I would like to read the sequel to this story. Where will the lovers be in their 50’s and sixties?
I would like to read the sequel to this story. Where will the lovers be in their 50’s and sixties?
May 6, 2025
This book was on my radar for a while, I couldn’t wait to read it. I love the cover art, the arabic expressions, the story of making tough decisions and being disappointed.
These are the phrases i really liked:
“baroque moral code”
“cut away the ballast of bravado and set herself adrift”
“carapace of purpose”
“She can sell cats to the mice,"
“the difference between being and belonging”
I recently read Broughtupsy by Christina Cooke about a Jamican-Canadian returning to Jamaica and feeling disconnected. There were similar crossovers in Nadia returning to Egypt after living in Montreal for her whole life. I though a lot about Palestine, refugees, and the shallow way tourists can behave. It was cool how the secondary character also contributed a lot to the stories (the trip to Alexandria and Aunt Josephine’s family reveal, the guy who showed up even tho Nadia told him not to, the Islamic Brotherhood). The dog fight was so intense. The way things ended made sense but will sit with me for a long time, unsettled. There was a perfect amount of what was unsaid, that is a true art
These are the phrases i really liked:
“baroque moral code”
“cut away the ballast of bravado and set herself adrift”
“carapace of purpose”
“She can sell cats to the mice,"
“the difference between being and belonging”
I recently read Broughtupsy by Christina Cooke about a Jamican-Canadian returning to Jamaica and feeling disconnected. There were similar crossovers in Nadia returning to Egypt after living in Montreal for her whole life. I though a lot about Palestine, refugees, and the shallow way tourists can behave. It was cool how the secondary character also contributed a lot to the stories (the trip to Alexandria and Aunt Josephine’s family reveal, the guy who showed up even tho Nadia told him not to, the Islamic Brotherhood). The dog fight was so intense. The way things ended made sense but will sit with me for a long time, unsettled. There was a perfect amount of what was unsaid, that is a true art
September 8, 2024
*Philistine* by Leila Marshy is a novel that requires patience, offering a slow-paced but richly rewarding exploration of identity and belonging. The story centers on Nadia Eid, a young Palestinian woman from Montreal, who travels to Cairo to reconnect with her estranged father. Instead, she finds herself in an unexpected love affair with Manal, an Egyptian artist, which profoundly reshapes her understanding of herself and her heritage. Through this relationship, Nadia rediscovers her roots, grapples with the complexities of being part of a diaspora, and confronts the fractured pieces of her family and identity. Marshy’s writing is deliberate, gradually spiraling into deeper layers of understanding about what it means to belong to a culture that is both yours and not yours. The novel subtly touches on the societal tensions leading to the 2011 Egyptian Revolution while vividly portraying a Cairo that is vibrant and full of life. Though not a quick or easy read, *Philistine* rewards those who linger with its profound insights and beautiful passages. It’s a story that stays with you, challenging your perceptions of identity, family, and the ties that connect us to our past. Marshy has crafted a narrative that is both intimate and expansive, offering a deeply moving reading experience.
March 24, 2025
This was good? Interesting concept, but i was not compelled by the narrative. I don't know, it felt too linear and unoriginal. Maybe that is because this was Marshy's first book. Do I have the patience or empathy to look beyond mediocre writing to appreciate the story and history that Marshy is trying to tell? Do I need to? What was she trying to show? Because it really wasn't very political or at least not as critical as I would have wanted it to be.
Nadia was not a political person, and while the book was about identity politics, she seems to base her identity on those around her. She wants to shed her Canadian-ness to be closer to her lover. She identifies more with Palestinian-ness because of her father. Maybe that is how identity works I guess. I find it irritating when the main character is a blank canvas for the events and characters she meets. You did not just fall out of a coconut tree.
Who is this book for? Canadians who have no context for a diasporic existence? Maybe that's why I didn't love it. Also I couldn't help compare it to If An Egyptian Cannot Speak English , which may be one of my favourite books ever and it is maybe unfair to hold it to this book to that standard.
***
Okay after going to the book club and meeting the author, I have reconsidered. Marshy speaks so effectively while reflecting emotionally. I considered this book to be about a foreigner moving to Egypt rather than a reflection of the diasporic nature of Palestinian identity, and that was my mistake. Yes, similar to the other book I mentioned, but with an entirely different goal.
Nadia was not a political person, and while the book was about identity politics, she seems to base her identity on those around her. She wants to shed her Canadian-ness to be closer to her lover. She identifies more with Palestinian-ness because of her father. Maybe that is how identity works I guess. I find it irritating when the main character is a blank canvas for the events and characters she meets. You did not just fall out of a coconut tree.
Who is this book for? Canadians who have no context for a diasporic existence? Maybe that's why I didn't love it. Also I couldn't help compare it to If An Egyptian Cannot Speak English , which may be one of my favourite books ever and it is maybe unfair to hold it to this book to that standard.
***
Okay after going to the book club and meeting the author, I have reconsidered. Marshy speaks so effectively while reflecting emotionally. I considered this book to be about a foreigner moving to Egypt rather than a reflection of the diasporic nature of Palestinian identity, and that was my mistake. Yes, similar to the other book I mentioned, but with an entirely different goal.
March 4, 2024
This was a 3.5 for me.
The main character is painfully young and stupid. It frustrated me to see her making choices and not seeing the parallel of her choices to the ones she was angry with her father for making. She's very naive about the world and about the conflict in Palestine that directly affected her father's choices. I think the author intended for her to be frustrating though, and it also matters that this is set at the end of the 80s where she wouldn't have had the internet and a barrage of news and information available to easily educate herself.
I think my main struggle with the book was that I have a hard time with a main character that I just don't like. She was a bit of a jerk in every relationship whether romantic, platonic, or familial. She was very judgemental and hurt by others actions but then never looked at her own with the same level of judgement. A serious hypocrit which made it difficult to like her or at the very least difficult to support her choices.
The author did a very good job of grounding the story in Cairo and of showing the chaos of the city without too much judgment. Nadia's culture shock at the start of her trip as a Montreal born and raised woman navigating what felt like a foreign world, compared to her feelings later when she had let the city take hold of her was very well done.
An important read, certainly a difficult one given the current situation in Palestine. It was hard to read a story set in the late 80s that expresses hope for a brighter future when in the present, hope for that can be hard to come by.
The main character is painfully young and stupid. It frustrated me to see her making choices and not seeing the parallel of her choices to the ones she was angry with her father for making. She's very naive about the world and about the conflict in Palestine that directly affected her father's choices. I think the author intended for her to be frustrating though, and it also matters that this is set at the end of the 80s where she wouldn't have had the internet and a barrage of news and information available to easily educate herself.
I think my main struggle with the book was that I have a hard time with a main character that I just don't like. She was a bit of a jerk in every relationship whether romantic, platonic, or familial. She was very judgemental and hurt by others actions but then never looked at her own with the same level of judgement. A serious hypocrit which made it difficult to like her or at the very least difficult to support her choices.
The author did a very good job of grounding the story in Cairo and of showing the chaos of the city without too much judgment. Nadia's culture shock at the start of her trip as a Montreal born and raised woman navigating what felt like a foreign world, compared to her feelings later when she had let the city take hold of her was very well done.
An important read, certainly a difficult one given the current situation in Palestine. It was hard to read a story set in the late 80s that expresses hope for a brighter future when in the present, hope for that can be hard to come by.
February 4, 2019
A nice read. Not mind blowing, but it was nice entertainment. Identity is a central theme of this book, and I think the author did a fantastic job at exploring it, especially when it comes to family, nationality, and what it means to be partly from somewhere, raised elsewhere and navigating different cultures.
October 24, 2021
This was recommended to me by some friendly queer booksellers at a popup kink market thing.
May 30, 2023
A thought-provoking and immersive novel with sharp prose, covering themes of identity, purpose, and the muses that guide.
April 20, 2025
We live in a patriarchal world. What place does love between women have! The problem is not solved by legalizing same-sex marriage. Does it become merely a copy of the heteronormative life? A way to make ends meet and have a life in this time? I don’t mean to say this is what the novel is about. These are my thoughts. This lesbian story is not based on the question of sexual identity but on the protagonist finding love in another culture, finding her ethnic identity.
Nadia, a Canadian-Palestinian, lives with a boyfriend in Montreal but goes to Cairo to find her father who had left their family a while ago. She arrives in Cairo and during the delay around meeting her father she meets Manal, a powerful woman, an artist, who entices Nadia and ignites her love. This is not simply love for a particular person. It recalls Sappho and her wondrous community. is Nadia falling in love with her Arabic culture, her Palestinian part? But all the while the pressures of the patriarchy hover. You can’t live as a lesbian. A relationship with a woman cannot sustain. Going through life loving women in a patriarchal world is unrealistic. What does one do?
The story is fascinating because it takes place in Egypt and Nadia does not consider herself a tourist. It is fascinating because her father is Palestinian and is working to help his people and Nadia wants to connect. She loves learning Arabic, too. There is much going on in this beautifully written novel and much to think about. It spoke to me personally in so many ways. I am so grateful for it.
And I never knew Filistine was the word for Palestinian.
Nadia, a Canadian-Palestinian, lives with a boyfriend in Montreal but goes to Cairo to find her father who had left their family a while ago. She arrives in Cairo and during the delay around meeting her father she meets Manal, a powerful woman, an artist, who entices Nadia and ignites her love. This is not simply love for a particular person. It recalls Sappho and her wondrous community. is Nadia falling in love with her Arabic culture, her Palestinian part? But all the while the pressures of the patriarchy hover. You can’t live as a lesbian. A relationship with a woman cannot sustain. Going through life loving women in a patriarchal world is unrealistic. What does one do?
The story is fascinating because it takes place in Egypt and Nadia does not consider herself a tourist. It is fascinating because her father is Palestinian and is working to help his people and Nadia wants to connect. She loves learning Arabic, too. There is much going on in this beautifully written novel and much to think about. It spoke to me personally in so many ways. I am so grateful for it.
And I never knew Filistine was the word for Palestinian.
October 23, 2024
i think i would've enjoyed this more had i not been from there and part of all they experience and speak of, in more ways than one, there was a lot that irked me. i guess it felt slightly stale, some of the writing and the main characters kind of didn't seem realistic sometimes they would act weirdly but it wasn't bad overall, i liked the gist and idea of it all.
November 30, 2025
this was so so so good i’m buying it asafp. lowkey there aren’t words to describe it she just is an incredible writer and this is so beautiful and hopeful and also crushing
June 11, 2024
★★★☆☆ (3.25)
I think I just expected too much and was somewhat disappointed by what was delivered, especially in terms of characterization and prose. nevertheless, a very important and achingly relatable story about identity and struggling with the perspectives we internalize as diaspora, as well as what it means to reconnect with your roots.
free palestine. the occupation will end.
I think I just expected too much and was somewhat disappointed by what was delivered, especially in terms of characterization and prose. nevertheless, a very important and achingly relatable story about identity and struggling with the perspectives we internalize as diaspora, as well as what it means to reconnect with your roots.
free palestine. the occupation will end.
July 4, 2024
I loved this book! The story was engaging, the characters were complex, and the relationships that developed were insightfully written. The book sheds some light on the conflict in Palestine, which makes it very timely.
September 5, 2025
I’m confused as to why no one has read this book and why it was not in any library. I really enjoyed this coming of age novel, even despite its long chapters. While I couldn’t relate to the protagonist as much as I hoped, it’s always nice to read about the Middle East from a Palestinian author. What I do think accurately came across was the overwhelming feeling of belonging anytime an Arab returns to the Middle East. Great novel and I love the emotional attachment I felt towards the story.
June 18, 2024
I’ve been digging around to find sapphic Palestinian stories, so this was an obvious choice. I wanted to like this more because of the subject matter, but it doesn’t necessarily come across as a professional effort. The pacing is clumsy, the characters’ feelings want elaboration that rarely comes, big and small events are all weighted equally in a distant and confusing way, and there are a lot of mistakes in terms of formatting. The dialogue can be stilted and strange, and it feels a little all over the place, ultimately.
Once you get past the first few chapters and adjust to the style, it definitely flows more easily and I did find myself coming back to it, wondering what was going to happen. The central love story ultimately wasn’t as compelling as I wanted it to be. I actually feel like the author’s most lovingly crafted characters were Bishara and Cairo, and those parts of the book rang true and really carried it for me. Bishara felt authentic, and he gave the story more meaning than Nadia did for me. Egypt is a bigger character in this book than Palestine, and the building of Nadia’s Palestinian identity felt a little piecemeal, so the ending was a bit of a surprise for me.
Definitely feels heavy reading now and wondering if any of them would be alive currently, were they real people. I hope to see a free Palestine in my lifetime, and I’m happy to have supported a Palestinian-Canadian author regardless of how much I liked the book.
Once you get past the first few chapters and adjust to the style, it definitely flows more easily and I did find myself coming back to it, wondering what was going to happen. The central love story ultimately wasn’t as compelling as I wanted it to be. I actually feel like the author’s most lovingly crafted characters were Bishara and Cairo, and those parts of the book rang true and really carried it for me. Bishara felt authentic, and he gave the story more meaning than Nadia did for me. Egypt is a bigger character in this book than Palestine, and the building of Nadia’s Palestinian identity felt a little piecemeal, so the ending was a bit of a surprise for me.
Definitely feels heavy reading now and wondering if any of them would be alive currently, were they real people. I hope to see a free Palestine in my lifetime, and I’m happy to have supported a Palestinian-Canadian author regardless of how much I liked the book.
September 22, 2022
Beautifully written, very actual and moving story.
As an egypto-québécois queer myself, it helped a lot having an inner dialogue with those characters, especially with Nadia, and discovering Egypt together with her, in a non-touristic but yet not rooted manner. Wonderful read !
As an egypto-québécois queer myself, it helped a lot having an inner dialogue with those characters, especially with Nadia, and discovering Egypt together with her, in a non-touristic but yet not rooted manner. Wonderful read !
November 6, 2018
What a beautiful, complicated, richly-told story. Leila Marshy is a wonderful novelist. I hope this work is the first of many from this talented Montreal writer.
May 17, 2025
I can't believe this book exists but it makes me so happy. It made me smile, it made me cry and it made me miss home.
January 7, 2025
Nadia, Palestinian- canadian in her mid twenties:
although sometimes unbearable, because of her lack of financial awareness, her disregard of people who cared about her (Daniel, Clare) and most importantly her little interest on the Palestinian cause, which ultimately shaped her childhood and her father’s choices. I feel like she had to be spoon fed information, and even with that, by the end of the book, little progress had been made.
She did though well portray what being a second generation Palestinian lost in the Diaspora feels like. It is a different approach to the classic “i am a citizen of the world, i don’t know where i fit in”. The random arabic throughout the book, although sometimes annoying, is a good way to present her naivety.
The book is not outwardly informative on the 90s in Cairo nor Palestine, with rare remarks made about the past, Nasser, Arafat , ‘48, ‘67, ‘87 (contrary to the description of the book, which promised an outlook in middle eastern politics ).
Nonetheless, things like poverty, misogyny, religion were still discussed, in less definite ways: “She didn’t own her body or her posture anymore; they did, strangers did, with their eyes, their glances of conditional respect, and their quiet clucks of censure. They did.”
“The ubiquity of disease and disfigurement had achieved for the disabled what they so craved in the West: complete integration.”
Palestinian resilience and unity was nicely portrayed: whether it’s a taxi driver, a doctor, a bookkeeper, a mother… everyone welcomed Nadia with open arms and gave her more that they probably could.
“We lose people to the four corners of the world. It is rare, and nice, when they come back.”
It is most sad reading this now and remaining hopeful.. “Palestinians don’t cry. Not yet!”
although sometimes unbearable, because of her lack of financial awareness, her disregard of people who cared about her (Daniel, Clare) and most importantly her little interest on the Palestinian cause, which ultimately shaped her childhood and her father’s choices. I feel like she had to be spoon fed information, and even with that, by the end of the book, little progress had been made.
She did though well portray what being a second generation Palestinian lost in the Diaspora feels like. It is a different approach to the classic “i am a citizen of the world, i don’t know where i fit in”. The random arabic throughout the book, although sometimes annoying, is a good way to present her naivety.
The book is not outwardly informative on the 90s in Cairo nor Palestine, with rare remarks made about the past, Nasser, Arafat , ‘48, ‘67, ‘87 (contrary to the description of the book, which promised an outlook in middle eastern politics ).
Nonetheless, things like poverty, misogyny, religion were still discussed, in less definite ways: “She didn’t own her body or her posture anymore; they did, strangers did, with their eyes, their glances of conditional respect, and their quiet clucks of censure. They did.”
“The ubiquity of disease and disfigurement had achieved for the disabled what they so craved in the West: complete integration.”
Palestinian resilience and unity was nicely portrayed: whether it’s a taxi driver, a doctor, a bookkeeper, a mother… everyone welcomed Nadia with open arms and gave her more that they probably could.
“We lose people to the four corners of the world. It is rare, and nice, when they come back.”
It is most sad reading this now and remaining hopeful.. “Palestinians don’t cry. Not yet!”
June 8, 2024
I expected more and maybe that’s on me. I overall enjoyed the read but I would not come back to the book and don’t think I’d recommend it to people that much.
The character is fairly frustrating in her behaviour and I cannot relate to some of her choices that knowingly and in a cruel manner hurt people she claims to have cared for like her boyfriend. Not that I liked him either.
The book didn’t quite deliver when it comes to exploration of queerness and intersectionality between second generation immigrant experience and Palestinian identity.
The book didn’t really provide a breathtaking overview of Egyptian political and social life as it was claimed. And I found it quite shallow in representation.
Overall for me the book was much more successful in showing pain of losing a father and grieving his lack of inclusion in her life, which is a different story from what the book promises in its description.
The character is fairly frustrating in her behaviour and I cannot relate to some of her choices that knowingly and in a cruel manner hurt people she claims to have cared for like her boyfriend. Not that I liked him either.
The book didn’t quite deliver when it comes to exploration of queerness and intersectionality between second generation immigrant experience and Palestinian identity.
The book didn’t really provide a breathtaking overview of Egyptian political and social life as it was claimed. And I found it quite shallow in representation.
Overall for me the book was much more successful in showing pain of losing a father and grieving his lack of inclusion in her life, which is a different story from what the book promises in its description.
November 16, 2023
This beautifully written book set in Cairo captivated me on so many levels: the search for cultural identity, the lengths we go to as children to be seen, sexual awakening, and the unpredictable bridges we cross to get there. The vibrant imagery of this novel threw me into new and longed for spaces and contexts, and the rich character development that leads us into intimate and complicated relationships, refrains from predictable resolve. I found myself repeatedly fluctuating between a shameless voyeur into Nadia's life and a genuine need to be present as her friend and ally.
A story that begs a sequel, and a timely read that I highly recommend.
A story that begs a sequel, and a timely read that I highly recommend.
August 24, 2024
This is not a quick or easy read. But it is well worth it with some wonderful passages. The book is one of those that keeps expanding spirals of ideas and events into a deeper and deeper understanding. What is it to be an immigrant, what is it to be part of a diaspora of a nation that is collapsing, what is it to be the daughter in a failed marriage. What is it to be human and accept and understand the fallibilities of family and the people around you. How do you respond to a culture that is and isn't yours - by staying and staying and living it and coming to grips with yourself and what you witness.
July 20, 2025
An immersive story about identity and love between women. Nadia, born and raised in Canada, decides on a whim to visit her Palestinian father in Cairo, Egypt.
She is longing to reconnect with him and to her unexplored Palestinian identity. In Cairo she meets a dynamic Egyptian woman named Manal, and begins a passionate love affair with her.
This is a quiet, richly layered novel which explores many issues in a sensitive, undogmatic way. Nadia grows in agency as the novel gains momentum. I enjoyed learning about a woman struggling to live in two cultures, about life for an ordinary Egyptian woman, and about the city of Cairo itself.
She is longing to reconnect with him and to her unexplored Palestinian identity. In Cairo she meets a dynamic Egyptian woman named Manal, and begins a passionate love affair with her.
This is a quiet, richly layered novel which explores many issues in a sensitive, undogmatic way. Nadia grows in agency as the novel gains momentum. I enjoyed learning about a woman struggling to live in two cultures, about life for an ordinary Egyptian woman, and about the city of Cairo itself.
January 4, 2024
5/5–Transcendent. This preternaturally self-assured novel is a masterclass in writing that is lyrical yet exacting, hyper-specific yet capacious. With similes so exquisite they take your breath away, and an artist’s eye for setting, Marshy shows us Nadia’s evolution from foreigner to not-quite-established in an ever-moving, ever-clamorous Cairo. As she reconnects with her father and falls in love with “awake-alive-pulsating Manal,” we swoon at the beauty and are slapped awake by realities too entrenched to dream away.
September 13, 2024
This wasn't an easy book to read and it took me awhile to get into it. It was mostly in English but also had Arabic and French that weren't always translated. Sometimes the book would change scenes without a chapter change or symbol like I am used to, but it seems like it wasn't done in a "bad writing" way but a stylistic choice. It's also not easy because it's about heavy topics - parental abandonment, lost culture, the struggles Palestinians face and queer love in the 80s. This story broke my heart and I feel raw and want to cry with Nadia and Manal.
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