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All the Women Inside Me
Shortlisted for the International Prize of Arabic Fiction
Surviving a cold childhood, overshadowed by her parents’ unhappiness and their distant relationship to her, Sahar expects to escape through marriage when she meets the compelling and charming Sami, who is interested in every detail of her life. But what seemed at first to be his loving interest rapidly becomes controlling and ultimately abusive. Sahar yearns for a way out of her intertwined experiences of loss and loneliness.
In All the Women Inside Me , Jana Elhassan presents an intricate psychological portrait of a woman, as well as the complexities of interpersonal relationships. The novel’s innovative structure allows it to plumb psychological and philosophical depths beyond the specific characters revealing a profound humanity. Sahar’s father is the lapsed leftist who masks his boredom by busying himself with great causes. Her depressed mother’s nerves are as delicate as the crystal she keeps immaculately polished in her home. A charlatan sheikh trades in religious magic, making a profit off of people’s misery. A boyfriend leaves his great love to marry a “more appropriate” good girl.
Sahar navigates her way through so many relationships, ill-prepared by her parents and unhappy childhood home. Her imagination is what allows her to act out all of the desires she has been denied throughout her whole life, from her childhood to her abusive marriage. But she also finds solace in her best friend, Hala, who has faced her own difficult childhood and adolescence and later a series of destructive relationships. At the same time that this novel is able to capture the intensity of emotions and experiences in women’s lives, it is not merely a story about the power of imagination to enrich the lives of oppressed women. Elhassan’s novel is a stark appraisal of how far women are pushed and the length to which women will go to escape a reality that is rotten at the core.
Surviving a cold childhood, overshadowed by her parents’ unhappiness and their distant relationship to her, Sahar expects to escape through marriage when she meets the compelling and charming Sami, who is interested in every detail of her life. But what seemed at first to be his loving interest rapidly becomes controlling and ultimately abusive. Sahar yearns for a way out of her intertwined experiences of loss and loneliness.
In All the Women Inside Me , Jana Elhassan presents an intricate psychological portrait of a woman, as well as the complexities of interpersonal relationships. The novel’s innovative structure allows it to plumb psychological and philosophical depths beyond the specific characters revealing a profound humanity. Sahar’s father is the lapsed leftist who masks his boredom by busying himself with great causes. Her depressed mother’s nerves are as delicate as the crystal she keeps immaculately polished in her home. A charlatan sheikh trades in religious magic, making a profit off of people’s misery. A boyfriend leaves his great love to marry a “more appropriate” good girl.
Sahar navigates her way through so many relationships, ill-prepared by her parents and unhappy childhood home. Her imagination is what allows her to act out all of the desires she has been denied throughout her whole life, from her childhood to her abusive marriage. But she also finds solace in her best friend, Hala, who has faced her own difficult childhood and adolescence and later a series of destructive relationships. At the same time that this novel is able to capture the intensity of emotions and experiences in women’s lives, it is not merely a story about the power of imagination to enrich the lives of oppressed women. Elhassan’s novel is a stark appraisal of how far women are pushed and the length to which women will go to escape a reality that is rotten at the core.
224 pages, Paperback
Published July 6, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 14, 2024
a structurally strange book, with no solid plot line. yet read it in the one sitting and was drawn to the deeply emotive, erotic and disjunctured inner world of Sahar... who more broadly represents her city landscape. speaks to all the women that live inside us, some who find their way out and others who don't..
more importantly reveals the havoc caused by abuse - as Sahar reconciles with the lives of the women around her (eg coming to see her mother as a woman in need of affection rather than just a cold parental figure). her husband Sami's relationship with his mother & Rabih's with his self all interesting talking points too. worth the read if read between the lines
more importantly reveals the havoc caused by abuse - as Sahar reconciles with the lives of the women around her (eg coming to see her mother as a woman in need of affection rather than just a cold parental figure). her husband Sami's relationship with his mother & Rabih's with his self all interesting talking points too. worth the read if read between the lines
December 13, 2022
This was a difficult book to read on many levels. First was the subject matter. It's about Sahar, who lives a life controlled by others in Northern Lebanon and how she copes with that. At first it is her parents who try to keep her isolated from other people, especially boys so nothing will taint her virginity. It is cultural, not religious, as her father is a Communist who looks down on the religious. Her mother is somewhat religious, but Sahar and her siblings are not raised that way. For some reason, Sahar's mother seems to ignore her or give her very little attention, so that Sahar feels both controlled by and isolated from everyone around her. She develops a rich imaginative world of friends, which later makes it hard to tell who are real friends and who are only in her mind.
Sahar marries very young to escape this life- to Sami who takes an interest in her in such a way that she is flattered. For Sami, she is willing to give up college and what would likely be a brighter future for her. Eventually his interest becomes controlling, and he is abusive, even in front of their two children. Sahar is also not liked by his family, who is religious. She wants to escape this life, but she cannot bear to leave her children. So she has a friend (real or fantasy?) whom she confides in and also a lurid love affair (real or fantasy?).
Heavy material and difficult to follow because of the emotional turmoil Sahar is going through. I also felt like some things were lost in translation, partly because you cannot translate all the subtle cultural references that seem to have been embedded. I also wonder if the literature that appeals to a Lebanese audience is different from that usually found in American literature. If you are interested in how marital abuse can happen and what it does to a woman, as well as some cultural nuances from Lebanon, this book will be of interest.
Sahar marries very young to escape this life- to Sami who takes an interest in her in such a way that she is flattered. For Sami, she is willing to give up college and what would likely be a brighter future for her. Eventually his interest becomes controlling, and he is abusive, even in front of their two children. Sahar is also not liked by his family, who is religious. She wants to escape this life, but she cannot bear to leave her children. So she has a friend (real or fantasy?) whom she confides in and also a lurid love affair (real or fantasy?).
Heavy material and difficult to follow because of the emotional turmoil Sahar is going through. I also felt like some things were lost in translation, partly because you cannot translate all the subtle cultural references that seem to have been embedded. I also wonder if the literature that appeals to a Lebanese audience is different from that usually found in American literature. If you are interested in how marital abuse can happen and what it does to a woman, as well as some cultural nuances from Lebanon, this book will be of interest.
May 16, 2023
This book only has a few reviews and I happened to find it on the shelf of a Seattle bookstore. It offers unique insight into the life of a Lebanese woman, a coming of age story following a woman in her early 20's until old age, and the many phases of her life. The story is winding, but the lessons she learns are not easily forgotten.
October 12, 2025
Uma narrativa marcada por relacionamentos abusivos e auto negação dos desejos femininos como forma de manter o patriarcado vigente. Muito doloroso de ler.
July 30, 2025
All the Women Inside Me is one of those books that lingers long after you’ve finished it. It’s raw, poetic, and haunting in the most beautiful way. Jana Elhassan does such a powerful job exploring the layers of womanhood, identity, and trauma—especially within the context of war, family, and societal expectations.
It’s not always an easy read. There are heavy moments, painful truths, and deep introspection. But that’s what makes it feel so real. You can feel the weight of everything the narrator is carrying, and it makes you think about the parts of ourselves we silence just to survive.
This isn’t a fast-paced, plot-driven story—it’s emotional, reflective, and intimate. If you’re in the mood for something powerful and poetic, with strong feminist undertones and unflinching honesty, this book will speak to you. A quiet but deeply impactful read.
It’s not always an easy read. There are heavy moments, painful truths, and deep introspection. But that’s what makes it feel so real. You can feel the weight of everything the narrator is carrying, and it makes you think about the parts of ourselves we silence just to survive.
This isn’t a fast-paced, plot-driven story—it’s emotional, reflective, and intimate. If you’re in the mood for something powerful and poetic, with strong feminist undertones and unflinching honesty, this book will speak to you. A quiet but deeply impactful read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews