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Trees for the Absentees
Young love, meddling relatives, heart-to-hearts with friends real and imagined - Philistia's world is that of an ordinary university student, except that in occupied Palestine, and when your father is in indefinite detention, nothing is straightforward. Philistia is closest to her childhood, and to her late grandmother and her imprisoned father, when she's at her part-time job washing women's bodies at the ancient Ottoman hammam in Nablus, the West Bank. A midwife and corpse washer in her time, Grandma Zahia taught Philistia the ritual ablutions and the secrets of the body: the secrets of life and death. On the brink of adulthood, Philistia embarks on a journey through her country's history - a magical journey, and one of loss and centuries of occupation. As trees are uprooted around her, Philistia searches for a place of refuge, a place where she can plant a memory for the ones she's lost.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
April 21, 2024
A wonderful book, beautifully written. It is very melancholic and sweet, and the magical realism is incorporated really, really well. I wish it were a bit longer, though.
December 15, 2020
This was a really good read, but I feel like so much of the magical realism the author tried to achieve was lost in translation. I’d like to try the Arabic version to see how it compares.
—-
“But you and I live in two different times,” he replied sadly. “Our home is in our imagination.”
“Let’s plant a garden in our imagination, then,” I said.
—-
“But you and I live in two different times,” he replied sadly. “Our home is in our imagination.”
“Let’s plant a garden in our imagination, then,” I said.
October 21, 2025
Philistia is a mirror for all of us who find it easier to be in the magical reality inside our heads.
I think what shone most in this story was the relationships. From the often forgotten fun and tenderness of female friendships, the push and pull of so many mother/daughter relationships, and the struggle of maintaining a bond with a father who has been in prison so long - I connected to it all.
Some parts of the story felt distant from one another, and I often felt a bit disoriented, but it was a nice read overall.
I think what shone most in this story was the relationships. From the often forgotten fun and tenderness of female friendships, the push and pull of so many mother/daughter relationships, and the struggle of maintaining a bond with a father who has been in prison so long - I connected to it all.
Some parts of the story felt distant from one another, and I often felt a bit disoriented, but it was a nice read overall.
March 27, 2024
So heartbreakingly beautiful!!! I just wish the book was a little longer.
June 24, 2021
“O sleeping boy from my dreams,
I’m searching for you in the dark.
Until I find you again you’ll have
To grow in the garden of my heart.”
“That night, our village Deir Sabra was broken, like a branch clinging on to its tree by a scrap of bark, where what remains of the water of life trickles out like a tear trying not to fall. The soldiers cut down hundreds of olive trees on the edge of our village. No one could stop them, no matter how they tried. Not the women who hugged the trees trying to keep them from harm. Not the children playing in front of the bulldozers with broken sticks. They carried on playing as though they thought they were in a cartoon and ended up getting hurt. Not the teens and young men carrying axes and sticks who took on the soldiers, their tears flowing like rivers.”
Trees for the Absentees, originally written in Arabic by Ahlam Becharat, is a novella about a young girl named Philisitia from Nabuls, P@lestiine —who works at an old Ottoman Hammam- and her daily life under the Israeli occupation.
At first, you think Philistia is an ordinary girl with an ordinary life and part-time job , but soon you learn that she is not. For she is torn between two worlds. Any other detail would spoil the novel’s core, and that’s why I’m leaving it here.
The story is that of magical realism, which, at some point, made me confused , the way the protagonist herself was, at whether what she saw/ heard was real or not. I was lost when reading some passage and had to reread them in order to assure that I’m following Philistia. _________________
This is the second book I read by Becharat, the first was narrated by a child. I’m looking forward to reading her narration of an accomplished woman.
.
June 27, 2023
This was beautifully written, short but so slow and I don’t quite understand what happened but I’m glad I was along for the ride.
July 14, 2020
“We all arrive carrying our flame with us. There are those who use that flame to light up the darkness, and there are those who use it to set fire to trees and people…I open up the path for that light. I grab hold of a foot and pull the baby towards the darkness of life for him to light it up. And you are a helping hand to help me as I tag this light into our world.”
I received a few books last week, amongst them was @neemtreepress ’s newly published translation of Ahlam Bsharat’s Trees for the Absentees. A small novella, I picked it up to get a feel of the book, but I was quickly captivated by the story unfolding before me and before I knew it, I had finished it.
A coming of age story set in occupied Palestine, Trees for the Absentees grants a window into a fleeting moment in the life of Philistia, a young university student who works part time in a hammam where she scrubs clean the bodies of women wearied by the world. She contemplates how similar the role is to that which she played when helping her enigmatic Grandma Zahia, who acted as both a midwife in her village and as the person who washed the deceased in preparation for their funeral rite state be performed.
The story is rich with magical realism and it is as a child helping her Grandma Zahia that Philistia first experiences something from the unseen. This continues through the book with lines between imagination and reality becoming increasingly blurred. I loved this. Without giving away spoilers, I found her connection with Bayrakdar, the young man in whom she finds a kindred spirit, and her father who she connects to through letters, so poignant. Each man loved through a distance that cannot be physically traversed, but that the hearts glide over with ease.
Set in the backdrop of historical and contemporary occupations of Palestine with the universally relatable politics of family and community, this small book was a mighty experience.
The book is categorised as a Young Adult/children’s literature, but I think that obscures the layers and depth of the book. If you like magical realism, you’ll enjoy this novella.
I received a few books last week, amongst them was @neemtreepress ’s newly published translation of Ahlam Bsharat’s Trees for the Absentees. A small novella, I picked it up to get a feel of the book, but I was quickly captivated by the story unfolding before me and before I knew it, I had finished it.
A coming of age story set in occupied Palestine, Trees for the Absentees grants a window into a fleeting moment in the life of Philistia, a young university student who works part time in a hammam where she scrubs clean the bodies of women wearied by the world. She contemplates how similar the role is to that which she played when helping her enigmatic Grandma Zahia, who acted as both a midwife in her village and as the person who washed the deceased in preparation for their funeral rite state be performed.
The story is rich with magical realism and it is as a child helping her Grandma Zahia that Philistia first experiences something from the unseen. This continues through the book with lines between imagination and reality becoming increasingly blurred. I loved this. Without giving away spoilers, I found her connection with Bayrakdar, the young man in whom she finds a kindred spirit, and her father who she connects to through letters, so poignant. Each man loved through a distance that cannot be physically traversed, but that the hearts glide over with ease.
Set in the backdrop of historical and contemporary occupations of Palestine with the universally relatable politics of family and community, this small book was a mighty experience.
The book is categorised as a Young Adult/children’s literature, but I think that obscures the layers and depth of the book. If you like magical realism, you’ll enjoy this novella.
May 5, 2023
A beautiful, snapshot of the life of a young woman named Philistia who works in a Nabuls hammam. Bsharat's narration drops the reader into a moment in Philistia's life and then just as quickly plucked out. The writing is at once lyrical and sparse. Through her narration, dream sequences, and letters to her father, who is in an Israeli prison, readers get snatches of the confined spaces Palestinians exist in. A lovely, eloquent novella.
April 11, 2025
Sadly I feel that the most beautiful parts of the book might've been lost in the translation of it. The author created a story, but it felt much too short.
September 5, 2020
Such a great and interesting quick read containing a multilayered story of a girl named Philistia living in occupied Palestine; all of which fits in your hands! It’s my first time reading a book by Ahlam Bsharat so I didn’t really know what to expect. When I started reading the first page just to see if it’s up my alley, I ended up reading the whole book in one sitting.
At first it seemed like a normal coming of age story of a university student spending time with her friends. But with her Dad being imprisoned until further notice and a supranatural world she tapped into, Philistia’s journey is rather unexpected. Philistia works part-time at an ancient Ottoman hammam, washing women’s bodies—a skill inherited from her late Grandma Zahia on the secrets of one’s body. In her dreams she met a young lad named Bayrakdar, from whom she learned of the country’s history. Filled with a lot of interesting details, the story uncovered many lessons from the past through the eyes of Philistia.
One thing I’m particularly drawn to, other than the magical plot, is the writing style! Bsharat writes ever so poetically with a hint of tenderness and acuity at the same time. I have always expected a degree of lyricality when it comes to translated books from Arabic; this gem is not an exception, rest assured the translators did not disappoint. Anyone who fancies well-thought-out magical realism should definitely give this one a try!
“Our heads are cupboards full of secrets, and our senses are the key. Everything that your eyes see becomes yours to keep safe. If you take something with you, then hide it away. Whatever they give you willingly, spread it out before you and wash it like you wash lentils, sieving out other bits of dirt. The body contains both bad and good, and all that is within the body belongs to it. When someone entrusts their body to you, they open the door to reveal their secrets. That’s the time to close the door to your own cupboard of secrets.”
Thank you so much Neem Tree Press for sending me a review copy!
At first it seemed like a normal coming of age story of a university student spending time with her friends. But with her Dad being imprisoned until further notice and a supranatural world she tapped into, Philistia’s journey is rather unexpected. Philistia works part-time at an ancient Ottoman hammam, washing women’s bodies—a skill inherited from her late Grandma Zahia on the secrets of one’s body. In her dreams she met a young lad named Bayrakdar, from whom she learned of the country’s history. Filled with a lot of interesting details, the story uncovered many lessons from the past through the eyes of Philistia.
One thing I’m particularly drawn to, other than the magical plot, is the writing style! Bsharat writes ever so poetically with a hint of tenderness and acuity at the same time. I have always expected a degree of lyricality when it comes to translated books from Arabic; this gem is not an exception, rest assured the translators did not disappoint. Anyone who fancies well-thought-out magical realism should definitely give this one a try!
“Our heads are cupboards full of secrets, and our senses are the key. Everything that your eyes see becomes yours to keep safe. If you take something with you, then hide it away. Whatever they give you willingly, spread it out before you and wash it like you wash lentils, sieving out other bits of dirt. The body contains both bad and good, and all that is within the body belongs to it. When someone entrusts their body to you, they open the door to reveal their secrets. That’s the time to close the door to your own cupboard of secrets.”
Thank you so much Neem Tree Press for sending me a review copy!
August 31, 2021
RATING: This short book (perhaps a novella?) packs a punch with strong themes of loss, memory, grief and captivity. With a healthy dose of magical realism, it is a multi-layered narrative which leaves you questioning what’s real. Translated from Arabic by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp and Sue Copeland, this was my pick for women in translation month and I’m glad I got to read a new author to myself from a culture I’d love to learn more about. I’ve debated giving it four stars, but I’m giving it three and a half, because I’ve got strict with my ratings!
GOOD BITS: As someone who lives in a dreamworld, I really liked the voice of the protagonist. She felt relatable and sympathetic, yet she wasn’t too passive. However, I felt the book really got going with Bayrakdar around 40 pages in. At this point I felt the relationships developed and I got to feel the main character more. Also, the description of the Israeli’s burning the Palestinian olive groves stood out as being particularly beautiful and moving.
NOT SO GOOD BITS: The magical realism meant I found it hard to keep track of what was happening, particularly in some of the dialogue. At points there were two conversations going on at once, for example when a character is on the phone and also speaking to someone in the same room. Although realistic to human speech, I think more description of the characters’ actions (facial expressions, hand gestures etc.) would’ve helped me to follow the dialogue. I also felt this was a small snapshot of a character’s life, rather than a plot progressing towards a character goal.
OVERALL: I’d recommend this book to lovers of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short stories or Snowflake by Louise Nealon (similar protagonist and use of dreams). You’ll have to be a fan of magical realism and comfortable with a drifting sense of reality to read this. However, if you let yourself relax into the book, you can enjoy an intimate character portrait and beautiful writing.
GOOD BITS: As someone who lives in a dreamworld, I really liked the voice of the protagonist. She felt relatable and sympathetic, yet she wasn’t too passive. However, I felt the book really got going with Bayrakdar around 40 pages in. At this point I felt the relationships developed and I got to feel the main character more. Also, the description of the Israeli’s burning the Palestinian olive groves stood out as being particularly beautiful and moving.
NOT SO GOOD BITS: The magical realism meant I found it hard to keep track of what was happening, particularly in some of the dialogue. At points there were two conversations going on at once, for example when a character is on the phone and also speaking to someone in the same room. Although realistic to human speech, I think more description of the characters’ actions (facial expressions, hand gestures etc.) would’ve helped me to follow the dialogue. I also felt this was a small snapshot of a character’s life, rather than a plot progressing towards a character goal.
OVERALL: I’d recommend this book to lovers of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short stories or Snowflake by Louise Nealon (similar protagonist and use of dreams). You’ll have to be a fan of magical realism and comfortable with a drifting sense of reality to read this. However, if you let yourself relax into the book, you can enjoy an intimate character portrait and beautiful writing.
May 21, 2014
اين تزرع أشجار الغائبين
ان تركوكِ فمكانهم الحديقة الخلفية ، وان لم يتركوكِ فازرعي لهم شجرة في حديقة قلبك ،،،
فلستيا ،، الفتاة التي رأت النور ، التي حملت قنديل روحها بيدها الصغيرة ، حملت العهد المقدس من جدتها زهية التي كانت تقول عنها انها تعرف كل شيء ، وأنها تدبر شؤون الدنيا ،،
كانت الطريق الاول والأخير لكل من في القرية فهي التي تقص الحبل السري لكل الوافدين الجدد على هذه الحياة ، وتغسل الراحلين متعهدتهم دنياهم الجديدة .
كل هذه الحياة بنظرة القادم والمغادر. ، ذاك الثيم الذي انجلى على كل أوراق رواية " أشجار للناس الغائبين" لدرجة اختياره م�� الجميلة " احلام البشارات" عنوان لروايتها صغيرة الحجم ، باهظة التأثير .
تلك التي ومنذ البداية ، تنقلك حصرا لدنيا سحرية ، يختلط فيها الواقع بالخيال .
عالم فلستيا ، الفتاة التي تضطرها الظروف ، ومنها اعتقال الأب في سجون الاحتلال ، والرغبة بالدراسة ، والمساهمة بإعالة ام وثلاثة اخوة ، الى عمل فُصَل على قدر روحها ، حيث الحياة والموت صنوا الجسد بحالاته الشتى ، حيث الأجساد مترعة الكثرة بحمام نسوي ، والتقاء الأجساد باكرا ، يضع فلستيا في مواجهة الطبيعة البشرية تلك التي عاينتها طفلة مع جدتها زهية ،،
في أشجار الناس الغائبين ،، شجن من نوع يهزك من الاعماق ، ويلهب خيالك لكل كوة نور آن لها ان تُضاء في دنيا الظلام ..
لغة شفافة ، وأحداث سلسة جميلة ، مشاعر فائضة عن حاجة البشر
وأخيرا لا اريد ان أهمل الغلاف وصورته الآخاذة التي زادت العمل رونقا وجمالا ، وهي التي التقطت في أربعينيات القرن الماضي في مدينة جنين ،،
ذاك الملخص القصير لهذا العمل الجميل ، الذي كنت محظوظا لان القدر ألقاه في طريقي ،
أشجار للناس الغائبين
احلام بشارات
الطبعة الاولى 2013
مؤسسة تامر للتعليم المجتمعي
مؤيد.الشمالي
ان تركوكِ فمكانهم الحديقة الخلفية ، وان لم يتركوكِ فازرعي لهم شجرة في حديقة قلبك ،،،
فلستيا ،، الفتاة التي رأت النور ، التي حملت قنديل روحها بيدها الصغيرة ، حملت العهد المقدس من جدتها زهية التي كانت تقول عنها انها تعرف كل شيء ، وأنها تدبر شؤون الدنيا ،،
كانت الطريق الاول والأخير لكل من في القرية فهي التي تقص الحبل السري لكل الوافدين الجدد على هذه الحياة ، وتغسل الراحلين متعهدتهم دنياهم الجديدة .
كل هذه الحياة بنظرة القادم والمغادر. ، ذاك الثيم الذي انجلى على كل أوراق رواية " أشجار للناس الغائبين" لدرجة اختياره م�� الجميلة " احلام البشارات" عنوان لروايتها صغيرة الحجم ، باهظة التأثير .
تلك التي ومنذ البداية ، تنقلك حصرا لدنيا سحرية ، يختلط فيها الواقع بالخيال .
عالم فلستيا ، الفتاة التي تضطرها الظروف ، ومنها اعتقال الأب في سجون الاحتلال ، والرغبة بالدراسة ، والمساهمة بإعالة ام وثلاثة اخوة ، الى عمل فُصَل على قدر روحها ، حيث الحياة والموت صنوا الجسد بحالاته الشتى ، حيث الأجساد مترعة الكثرة بحمام نسوي ، والتقاء الأجساد باكرا ، يضع فلستيا في مواجهة الطبيعة البشرية تلك التي عاينتها طفلة مع جدتها زهية ،،
في أشجار الناس الغائبين ،، شجن من نوع يهزك من الاعماق ، ويلهب خيالك لكل كوة نور آن لها ان تُضاء في دنيا الظلام ..
لغة شفافة ، وأحداث سلسة جميلة ، مشاعر فائضة عن حاجة البشر
وأخيرا لا اريد ان أهمل الغلاف وصورته الآخاذة التي زادت العمل رونقا وجمالا ، وهي التي التقطت في أربعينيات القرن الماضي في مدينة جنين ،،
ذاك الملخص القصير لهذا العمل الجميل ، الذي كنت محظوظا لان القدر ألقاه في طريقي ،
أشجار للناس الغائبين
احلام بشارات
الطبعة الاولى 2013
مؤسسة تامر للتعليم المجتمعي
مؤيد.الشمالي
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March 11, 2021Shortlisted for the 2020 Global Literature in Libraries Initiative
Translated Young Adult Literature Award
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Being a teenager is hard enough as it is. Layer in the loss of a beloved grandparent, gossiping relatives, a father who is a political prisoner, and the trauma of centuries of military occupation, and perhaps the only way to make sense of everything is to resort to the fantastical...
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For more information, visit our website!
https://glli-us.org/2020-translated-y...
Translated Young Adult Literature Award
---------------------------------
Being a teenager is hard enough as it is. Layer in the loss of a beloved grandparent, gossiping relatives, a father who is a political prisoner, and the trauma of centuries of military occupation, and perhaps the only way to make sense of everything is to resort to the fantastical...
---------------------------------
For more information, visit our website!
https://glli-us.org/2020-translated-y...
August 7, 2023
خيال واقعي بحت، لهذه الرواية ذات الصفحات القليلة تأثير ساحر، ما بين عريّ الأجساد و عريّ الأرواح تعيش فلستيا، في عالمها الخاص، و في أحلامها أنشأت واقعاً تريده.
كل ما ذكرت يقدّم بواقع فتاة فلسطينية من إحدى قرى مدينة نابلس! قد يشعر البعض أن لا مكان لعالم الأحلام في حياة الفلسطينيّ لكن بشارات أثبتت عكس ذلك.
هذه قراءتي الثانية لأحلام بشارات و لن تكون الأخيرة، في لغتها رقّة و قوة في الوقت نفسه و هي صفةٌ لم أرها عند الكثير من الكتّاب.
الغلاف رائع.
كل ما ذكرت يقدّم بواقع فتاة فلسطينية من إحدى قرى مدينة نابلس! قد يشعر البعض أن لا مكان لعالم الأحلام في حياة الفلسطينيّ لكن بشارات أثبتت عكس ذلك.
هذه قراءتي الثانية لأحلام بشارات و لن تكون الأخيرة، في لغتها رقّة و قوة في الوقت نفسه و هي صفةٌ لم أرها عند الكثير من الكتّاب.
الغلاف رائع.
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August 29, 2015ما بين اليقظه والاحلام تكمن الحقيقه
March 8, 2024
In this YA coming-of-age, magical realism novella we see different glimpses into the life of Philistia, a Palestinian university student who works part-time in a hammam in Nablus. While washing the bodies of the women at the hammam everything feels differently for Philistia: she enters a dreamworld and thinks of her late grandmother who imparted her a lot of wisdom, of her father who is imprisoned by the Israeli governement, and of a boy who worked at the same place in a different time.
While very short, a lot is said in this deeply profound and poetic novella that blurs the line between the real and the imaginary. Bsharat writes in gorgeous lyrical prose - which is undoubtedly even better in Arabic - and uses many beautiful metaphors and magical realist elements to convey subjects such as loss, grief, memory, family connections, friendship and growing up in occupied Palestine.
Firstly, we learn about Philistia's grandmother who worked both as a midwife and a washer of the deceased. She taught Philistia her knowledge of the secrets of the body - and thus of life and death - accessed by washing it. I can't tell more about the deeper meanings of her grandmother's ideas and the title of the book without spoiling them, but they were very profound and thought-provoking.
Secondly, Philistia writes letters to her father who is imprisoned by the Israeli occupation, telling him about her daily life and her deep sense of loss. These passages were very emotional and beautifully done. And lastly, through the character of Baykarat - the boy of the past Philistia meets in the dreamworld - we learn about life in Palestine during the British mandate. Philistia feels a strong connection to him because he worked at the same hammam and also knew how to access the secrets of the body with his hands.
Some things are undoubtedly lost in translation or difficult to grasp being non-Palestinian, but what I could understand was absolutely beautiful, emotional and philosophical.
My rating: 5⭐
While very short, a lot is said in this deeply profound and poetic novella that blurs the line between the real and the imaginary. Bsharat writes in gorgeous lyrical prose - which is undoubtedly even better in Arabic - and uses many beautiful metaphors and magical realist elements to convey subjects such as loss, grief, memory, family connections, friendship and growing up in occupied Palestine.
Firstly, we learn about Philistia's grandmother who worked both as a midwife and a washer of the deceased. She taught Philistia her knowledge of the secrets of the body - and thus of life and death - accessed by washing it. I can't tell more about the deeper meanings of her grandmother's ideas and the title of the book without spoiling them, but they were very profound and thought-provoking.
Secondly, Philistia writes letters to her father who is imprisoned by the Israeli occupation, telling him about her daily life and her deep sense of loss. These passages were very emotional and beautifully done. And lastly, through the character of Baykarat - the boy of the past Philistia meets in the dreamworld - we learn about life in Palestine during the British mandate. Philistia feels a strong connection to him because he worked at the same hammam and also knew how to access the secrets of the body with his hands.
Some things are undoubtedly lost in translation or difficult to grasp being non-Palestinian, but what I could understand was absolutely beautiful, emotional and philosophical.
My rating: 5⭐
June 28, 2024
This magical realism 95 page novella is translated from Arabic and according to the publisher meant for YA readers. To me though, it is more appropriate for adult readers as naked bodies in the hammam and a dildo are mentioned. I think a lot is perhaps lost in translation as the chapters at times seem choppy and repetitive, and the college age protagonist's voice is often ethereal and lyrical interspersed with large sections of sounding like an impertinent child. All the literary inconsistences aside, the book is hauntingly compelling, and easy to read in a single sitting. The glimpses of Palestinian life grounds the story that follows Philistia as she learns to wash the dead with her grandmother before taking up employment in the hammam. Her past and present, real and dream worlds all over lap and intertwine as her deceased grandmother regularly visits and a love interest grows in Philistia's world. With a father in Israeli prison, family stresses, and coming of age, the reader ponders long after the last page if the imagined world is escape, or if her reality is truly magical.
January 15, 2024
A reread.
The introductory pages of the novella introduces the concept of light that "we carry" despite all of the darkness that is present in the world. Being a magical realism, it shifts between the real and imaginary world without stating it which might make readers feel disconnected as they try to make sense of what is happening. However, translation could contribute to this dissonance.
Because it is a bildungsroman, we follow Philistia (hint to the empire of Philistia) through her journey growing up through the recollection of memories that she writes or thinks out loud. Many of the memories are sent in the form of letters to her father who is locked up by the occupation. Another man that she thinks about is Bayrakdar; who resembles the Palestinian people a century before Philistia according to my interpretation.
The backdrop of the novella adds a lot of context that ties in all the magical realism together.
Overall, I feel that this book is great for people that want to explore the concept of growing up and magical realism together.
The introductory pages of the novella introduces the concept of light that "we carry" despite all of the darkness that is present in the world. Being a magical realism, it shifts between the real and imaginary world without stating it which might make readers feel disconnected as they try to make sense of what is happening. However, translation could contribute to this dissonance.
Because it is a bildungsroman, we follow Philistia (hint to the empire of Philistia) through her journey growing up through the recollection of memories that she writes or thinks out loud. Many of the memories are sent in the form of letters to her father who is locked up by the occupation. Another man that she thinks about is Bayrakdar; who resembles the Palestinian people a century before Philistia according to my interpretation.
The backdrop of the novella adds a lot of context that ties in all the magical realism together.
Overall, I feel that this book is great for people that want to explore the concept of growing up and magical realism together.
April 24, 2024
Wholesome, heartbreaking, and all together contemplative. In less than a hundred pages, this young woman made me think more about the nature of dreams, love, purpose , and desire. Poetically derived and contemplative, it makes you realize how the simple act of cleaning, transforms and renews life. In a small action, this woman returns dignity to both the living and the dead. Her relationships, both imaginative and real, show that love can be more than a physical presence. Through her dreams and visions, we see connections and purposes beyond the conventions of normality. None the less, these are not fake interactions, rather with her spirits she has more intention and meaning, love and connection, than some people have with a real person in a thousand lifetimes. I left this story not remembering the words in their verbatim, but knowing that what I just experienced was a profound story with a meaning of hope for those who don’t feel a place in conventional relationships and everyday interactions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2023
Short little book I read today. It’s less than 100 pages long but it took me all day to finish because each passage is filled with poetry and wisdom. It’s one of those books that takes your breathe away for how beautiful the writing is & also by how much weight each sentence carries.
Philistia - who’s name is an homage to the first people to occupy what’s not Palestine - is a girl who’s entering adulthood & her college age. She works at a Hammam (bath houses that provide spa services), and she’s carrying on the wisdom from her grandmother who’s passed away. The book deals with birth, death, history & those who carry on when their loved ones are absent in many ways. It’s lyrical prose, magical realism with bits and pieces of historical context sprinkled throughout the story.
It’s one of the few 5 ⭐️ reads of 2023 for me, and the beginning of my goal of reading more Palestinian books that aren’t just history books.
Philistia - who’s name is an homage to the first people to occupy what’s not Palestine - is a girl who’s entering adulthood & her college age. She works at a Hammam (bath houses that provide spa services), and she’s carrying on the wisdom from her grandmother who’s passed away. The book deals with birth, death, history & those who carry on when their loved ones are absent in many ways. It’s lyrical prose, magical realism with bits and pieces of historical context sprinkled throughout the story.
It’s one of the few 5 ⭐️ reads of 2023 for me, and the beginning of my goal of reading more Palestinian books that aren’t just history books.
November 26, 2024
First of all, I absolutely love the title of this beautifully written (and therefore well translated) novella of Palestinian life in a West Bank village. It expresses two themes of the story: love and remembrance (“plant a plum tree in your heart”) and absence. There is a lot of absence here: a beloved grandmother who has passed on, a father in prison. And yet these absences are also very much present in the protagonist’s heart and mind. I was struck by the way that the occupation is a presence in the story but not the main focus. And yet the history of Palestine, from the Ottoman period to the present day is a strong thread woven through the life and experiences of Philistia, the young protagonist on the brink of womanhood.
September 21, 2021
Philistia, named for Palestine, is taught by her grandmother to tend to bodies. She washes women's bodies at the hammam and washed her grandmother's after death.
"The body contains both bad and good, and all that is within the body belongs to it. When someone entrusts their body to you, they open the door to reveal their secrets. That's the time to close the door to your own cupboard of secrets."
Philistia forms a friendship with another body washer, Bayrakdar, in her dreams since he comes from another space in time. Olive trees being chopped down refer to the past. It seemed that much of the magical realism was missed by the translation.
Intriguing book cover.
2.5
WSU library
"The body contains both bad and good, and all that is within the body belongs to it. When someone entrusts their body to you, they open the door to reveal their secrets. That's the time to close the door to your own cupboard of secrets."
Philistia forms a friendship with another body washer, Bayrakdar, in her dreams since he comes from another space in time. Olive trees being chopped down refer to the past. It seemed that much of the magical realism was missed by the translation.
Intriguing book cover.
2.5
WSU library
November 5, 2023
A stunningly personal, lyrical masterpiece. Magical Realism meets Speculative Fiction in a novella full of grief, loneliness, and desperate longing. The entire book was an aching beautiful metaphor. The scene about the importance of a name is going to live in my soul forever. Philistia has my heart.
October 31, 2024
💬”We all arrive carrying our flame with us. There are those who use that flame to light up the darkness, and there are those who use it to set fire to trees and people.”
🌿
This slim novella is a haunting, lyrical tale that explores grief, belonging, and the persistence of memory. Narrated by a young Palestinian girl, Philistia, the novella artfully blends the magical with the real, depicting how those left behind continue to live inside us amid longing and loss.
🌿
Philistia is a university student in the occupied West Bank who works part time in an Ottoman-era hammam in Nablus where she learned to wash women’s bodies, in life and also in death, from her most beloved deceased Grandma Zahia. In her spare time she writes to her father who is indefinitely detained in an Israeli prison. To cope with the grief of loss, absence, and the continuous destruction and uprooting of the trees and land around her, she dreams, while awake and while sleeping. In her dreams, she walks and talks with, Bayrakdar, a man from her Grandma’s time. In this dream-space, she finds the courage to discuss her innermost thoughts, fears, and wishes - words she is unable to speak in real life. She strives to process the generational trauma endured by her family and all the Palestinian people living under occupation and find ways to preserve their memories.
🌿
Bsharat’s prose is poetic and delicate, gently transporting you between the real and magical worlds. The dead and absent loved ones may be gone and yet are ever present in Philistia’s daily life. The trees act as symbols of memory, renewal, and roots, offering solace in a world marked by instability. If you loved Piranesi or the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, then I highly recommend this slim yet powerful read.
🌿
“People live inside their stories—inside themselves. We are all trees growing in the soil of the past.”
“Even the wind remembers the ones who are no longer here.”
🌿
This slim novella is a haunting, lyrical tale that explores grief, belonging, and the persistence of memory. Narrated by a young Palestinian girl, Philistia, the novella artfully blends the magical with the real, depicting how those left behind continue to live inside us amid longing and loss.
🌿
Philistia is a university student in the occupied West Bank who works part time in an Ottoman-era hammam in Nablus where she learned to wash women’s bodies, in life and also in death, from her most beloved deceased Grandma Zahia. In her spare time she writes to her father who is indefinitely detained in an Israeli prison. To cope with the grief of loss, absence, and the continuous destruction and uprooting of the trees and land around her, she dreams, while awake and while sleeping. In her dreams, she walks and talks with, Bayrakdar, a man from her Grandma’s time. In this dream-space, she finds the courage to discuss her innermost thoughts, fears, and wishes - words she is unable to speak in real life. She strives to process the generational trauma endured by her family and all the Palestinian people living under occupation and find ways to preserve their memories.
🌿
Bsharat’s prose is poetic and delicate, gently transporting you between the real and magical worlds. The dead and absent loved ones may be gone and yet are ever present in Philistia’s daily life. The trees act as symbols of memory, renewal, and roots, offering solace in a world marked by instability. If you loved Piranesi or the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, then I highly recommend this slim yet powerful read.
🌿
“People live inside their stories—inside themselves. We are all trees growing in the soil of the past.”
“Even the wind remembers the ones who are no longer here.”
July 12, 2021
An interesting, short book.
A story of Palestine from the point of view of a girl/ young woman. About long-lasting trauma and escapism.
I liked the writing. I bet it's beautiful in the original Arabic.
A story of Palestine from the point of view of a girl/ young woman. About long-lasting trauma and escapism.
I liked the writing. I bet it's beautiful in the original Arabic.
Read
September 12, 2021A great New Adult contemporary magical-realist novella; I had a Twitter thread about it here:
https://twitter.com/bogiperson/status...
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Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library (who ordered it on my request, thank you!)
https://twitter.com/bogiperson/status...
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Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library (who ordered it on my request, thank you!)
January 5, 2020
قصة مؤثرة وملهمة وبها من الغموض والسحر الكثير .. أحلام بشارات هي أمل اليافعين في أدب يرقى بذائقتهم القرائية
November 23, 2021
It is a good novel.
January 10, 2022
I liked it very much, Ahlam Bisharat is an artist and poet who knows how to play with words and make a masterpiece out of them
October 16, 2022
Caught between the real and the imaginary is a world of longing and dreams of the absent loved ones.
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