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Roundabout of Death
"Potent ... intimate, humorous and compelling ... One of the best Syrian novelists of his generation and one of the most exciting writers to emerge from the region since the Arab Spring."— The Times Literary Supplement Set in Aleppo in 2012, when everyday life was metronomically punctuated by bombing, Roundabout of Death offers powerful witness to the violence that obliterated the ancient city's rich layers of history, its neighborhoods, and medieval and Ottoman landmarks. The novel is told from the perspective of an ordinary man, a schoolteacher of Arabic for whom even daily errands become life-threatening tasks. He experiences the wide-scale destruction wrought upon the monumental Syrian metropolis as it became the stage for a vicious struggle between warring powers. Death hovers ever closer while the teacher roams Aleppo’s streets and byways, minutely observing the perils of urban life in an uncanny twist on Baudelaire's flâneur . The novel, a literary edifice erected as an unflinching response to the erasure of a once great city, speaks eloquently of the fragmentation of human existence and the calamities of war.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2017
12 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 12, 2021
What is daily life like in war-torn Aleppo, Syria’s most important economic center partitioned and divided between governmental forces and rebels? Especially if you are an ordinary man with no fervent political credo that tries to navigate the present and stay alive. You are a teacher but wake up at the sound of bombings and you know that your school is now being used as a hospital. You feel estranged, yet move around the streets of Aleppo and its markets, passing checkpoints, looking for the streets that can offer glimpses of normality. You turn at the corner and here they are, brimming with life, sounds and the smells of flowers and spices. You sit at your favourite café, talk to someone, but the next moment, bomb or sniper, everything can change: monuments, squares, your house, your relatives, your café, even torture chambers can be are erased in a second in an everchanging topography of grief and horror. Go elsewhere. Repeat.
This book has the insightfulness and urgency of a reportage and a compelling story at its core: that of a family lacerated when the son is detained by governmental forces: can safety then be beyond the roundabout of death that leads to Raqqa, in the hands of ISIS and rebel forces?
An arresting story of trauma, destruction and resilience from a leading intellectual and an excellent indie publisher.
Thanks New Vessel Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
This book has the insightfulness and urgency of a reportage and a compelling story at its core: that of a family lacerated when the son is detained by governmental forces: can safety then be beyond the roundabout of death that leads to Raqqa, in the hands of ISIS and rebel forces?
An arresting story of trauma, destruction and resilience from a leading intellectual and an excellent indie publisher.
Thanks New Vessel Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
July 26, 2025
War and the mundanity of daily life coexist. There are shelling and checkpoints along with going to collect food for a meal (which was distracting in a good way as the food sounded delicious ), and meet a friend at a cafe without catching a stray bullet.
We are left with the image of the roundabout. It is an image that lends to the possibility of different choices. Yet, I was left feeling that they are false beacons, each road perhaps leading to the same destiny.
**The translation made this a read that flowed really well and I was compelled to read one more chapter each time.
We are left with the image of the roundabout. It is an image that lends to the possibility of different choices. Yet, I was left feeling that they are false beacons, each road perhaps leading to the same destiny.
**The translation made this a read that flowed really well and I was compelled to read one more chapter each time.
August 30, 2021
This novel may be more of a fictional autobiography than a novel as the main character in the book is a teacher and writer who lives in Aleppo, Syria, just like the author. The chapters in this short book tell of the main character went about his daily life in Aleppo in 2012 with bombardments taking place on a regular basis while people in Aleppo tried to carry on with their daily lives. He is part of a group who gets together regularly for coffee at a local cafe, until it is blown up, and then they find another place to meet. The awfulness of war is juxtaposed with aspects of his daily life as he tries to get vegetables and bread, visit his mother and sister, and looks after his wife and adult children. It is a good book at capturing how people try to continue on with their daily lives in times such as these. Though there is very little plot, he captures the time and place very well.
October 27, 2024
This is a rather hazy, almost hallucinogenic portrayal of the life of a schoolteacher in war-torn Aleppo. There’s not a plot per se but instead a series of episodes in everyday life that serve to illustrate the reality of trying to live your life surrounded by violence. There’s the confusion of making your way around a city whose geography is constantly being changed by bombing but also a matter of factness as the horror becomes normalised.
It’s a book that needs to be read slowly as it can occasionally take an unexpected change in perspective and/or time but for me that all fits with the atmosphere that it is looking to create. It’s not an easy read but it is a haunting one and illustrates what it feels like to be living in a constant state of siege.
It’s a book that needs to be read slowly as it can occasionally take an unexpected change in perspective and/or time but for me that all fits with the atmosphere that it is looking to create. It’s not an easy read but it is a haunting one and illustrates what it feels like to be living in a constant state of siege.
September 13, 2022
“Roundabout of Death” refers to a particularly violent area in the center of Aleppo, a once vibrant city in civil war-torn Syria where the school-teacher narrator of this story documents several chaotic days in his life. there are some really impactful moments in this book (the son’s imprisonment, the filmmaker turned jihadist) but in general it was a strong reminder for me of the power of lit to illuminate stories that the news does not tell. in 160 pgs i learned so much
good sentences:
“the early days of September are merciless, the heat scorches people’s heads.”
“the road was shaded by cinchona trees, which blanketed their shadows along the path with a mother’s tenderness.”
“at night the river looked like an old man dressed in white, as if the moon were looking down at him and laughing.”
good sentences:
“the early days of September are merciless, the heat scorches people’s heads.”
“the road was shaded by cinchona trees, which blanketed their shadows along the path with a mother’s tenderness.”
“at night the river looked like an old man dressed in white, as if the moon were looking down at him and laughing.”
May 6, 2024
There really is no plot, but it is well written and showcases an every-day of living in Aleppo in 2012.
January 19, 2025
"The city was divided in half, and those two halves never intersected,"
April 25, 2021
This not a full novel or story but a collection of short stories with a one person narrator. By the early 2010s the Civil War in Syria had turned into a three way battle. Bashir Assad and the Syrian Army had all of the modern weapons an army needed, the Free Syrian Army (FSA)had the weapons they received from their Iraqi friends and all they could steal from Assad, ISIS was using weaponry they brought over from Iraq where they had destroyed much of the Iraqi Army.
But this is the story of how the everyday Syrian lived in order to survive the fighting among these different factions. Faysal tells the story of a mother who sent two sons to fight for Assad and two to the FSA so that the family would always have food no matter which faction controlled where they lived in Aleppo. When the narrator has to go to Damascus to look for his brother who the Assads had kidnapped from Medical School. He would have to deal with each of the factions.
He takes a bus that goes through from the PSA side through Raqqa which is the capital of ISIS. It's interesting how the people on the bus have to change to fit into the new area. In the ISIS area the bus is boarded by men from many countries fighting for ISIS, who check to make sure all of the woman are sitting in the back wearing burka and are under the guardianship of a male of their family. Two young woman have brought along their eleven year old brother as their guardian.
When they finally get out of ISIS territory, the woman take off their burkas, under which they wear jeans and v-neck sweaters and shirts, and they begin to put on their make-up and go back to sitting with the men they came with.
This is how the different stories go as people do what ever they can to survive in a country where those in charge change from day to day.
But this is the story of how the everyday Syrian lived in order to survive the fighting among these different factions. Faysal tells the story of a mother who sent two sons to fight for Assad and two to the FSA so that the family would always have food no matter which faction controlled where they lived in Aleppo. When the narrator has to go to Damascus to look for his brother who the Assads had kidnapped from Medical School. He would have to deal with each of the factions.
He takes a bus that goes through from the PSA side through Raqqa which is the capital of ISIS. It's interesting how the people on the bus have to change to fit into the new area. In the ISIS area the bus is boarded by men from many countries fighting for ISIS, who check to make sure all of the woman are sitting in the back wearing burka and are under the guardianship of a male of their family. Two young woman have brought along their eleven year old brother as their guardian.
When they finally get out of ISIS territory, the woman take off their burkas, under which they wear jeans and v-neck sweaters and shirts, and they begin to put on their make-up and go back to sitting with the men they came with.
This is how the different stories go as people do what ever they can to survive in a country where those in charge change from day to day.
October 11, 2021
As once said in America: "What is Allepo?" In 2012 it was a war zone and this setting felt accurate. The main character is a high school Arabic language teacher caught up in a new, chaotic reality. Civil War leads to nomads in their own land. Tough story.
April 14, 2022
A very matter of fact book, which is a narration style I can find myself attached to very easily. Matter of fact through the traumatic, shocking, and mundane, you're taken step by step through a life that has no real exits. This was a very succinct book and I'm glad I read it
June 6, 2023
A haunting tale of devastation, war, and death, Roundabout of Death offers insight into what it means to live under a merciless regime against citizens as they are stripped of their humanity and perceived as mere numbers contributing to the ever-rising scale of casualties.
Oscillating between first-person and third-person narratives, readers are taken on a continuous journey throughout Syria, marching amidst its souks and pausing at military checkpoints, where the terminating destiny of one’s life often awaits. The main character, Joumaa, a school teacher of Arabic, is seen traversing from one setting to another, instilling, in turn, a sense of not only estrangement but also of enormous instability as the city around him disrobes itself of its past regalia and becomes enshrouded in a sullen garment devoid of vivacity. The life that once embellished its length becomes stitched with blood, and Joumaa finds himself unable to become situated within a city awaiting to add his name to its list of martyrs.
As narratives fluctuate, you are given slivers of normalcy as the characters sip on coffee and perform morning rituals of gossip, having grown accustomed to the ruckus imposing itself on every corner. One might argue that these moments of unrest illustrate how numb the characters have become in light of the seemingly incessant catastrophe of which they have become residents, and the elaborate detailing of Joumaa’s journeys from one befallen city to another against the shelling, the debris, and the bombings is but another testimony to the horrific reality that one could grow accustomed–perhaps even unfazed–to an inevitable destiny resulting in death. Nonetheless, while such moments were relatively efficient in portraying the undaunted state of mind of Syria’s citizens under the tyrannical regime, they more or less disconnected the reader from the facsimile around which the narrative rotates: the war.
Gruesome deaths are around each turn as the regime army litters the streets to and fro, and snipers are on standby as they aim arbitrarily at a citizen on a mission of securing sustenance for their families, yet Joumaa remains preoccupied with the fact that he forgot to buy a squash from the market. He sees headless bodies sprawled limply across the streets, their heads hanging from a clock tower as if in a daze, but he remains unperturbed and driven to engage in conversations about women in a coffee shop.
While there is much to note as to the translator’s inefficiency in capturing the culture of the idioms, phrases, and expressions used throughout the novel, a line blends between holding either the translation or the author at fault for failing to deliver authentic documentation of the life under the emotional and physical debris of war. Certain passages written in a lyrical manner across the novel serve as proof that the writer can indeed portray a narrative that is both grim and celebratory of life, but the majority of the novel hunkers into a style that is monotonous and dull, almost emulating a news report.
In all, it does not entirely erase the purpose embedded within the fabric of the narrative: you never get to know the depth of the characters the same way you wouldn’t expect to view people beyond the scope of their one-dimensional existence at war; you don’t have much say in how things are steered as you are forced into making a living out of the crumbs you collect along the way; and you don’t truly make much progress without ending up in a roundabout of where you started and how far you are allowed to tread. However, if we justify the purpose of every war story as a reflection of the undetailed life under conflict, then when do we ever get to truly know their full-fledged stories?
Oscillating between first-person and third-person narratives, readers are taken on a continuous journey throughout Syria, marching amidst its souks and pausing at military checkpoints, where the terminating destiny of one’s life often awaits. The main character, Joumaa, a school teacher of Arabic, is seen traversing from one setting to another, instilling, in turn, a sense of not only estrangement but also of enormous instability as the city around him disrobes itself of its past regalia and becomes enshrouded in a sullen garment devoid of vivacity. The life that once embellished its length becomes stitched with blood, and Joumaa finds himself unable to become situated within a city awaiting to add his name to its list of martyrs.
As narratives fluctuate, you are given slivers of normalcy as the characters sip on coffee and perform morning rituals of gossip, having grown accustomed to the ruckus imposing itself on every corner. One might argue that these moments of unrest illustrate how numb the characters have become in light of the seemingly incessant catastrophe of which they have become residents, and the elaborate detailing of Joumaa’s journeys from one befallen city to another against the shelling, the debris, and the bombings is but another testimony to the horrific reality that one could grow accustomed–perhaps even unfazed–to an inevitable destiny resulting in death. Nonetheless, while such moments were relatively efficient in portraying the undaunted state of mind of Syria’s citizens under the tyrannical regime, they more or less disconnected the reader from the facsimile around which the narrative rotates: the war.
Gruesome deaths are around each turn as the regime army litters the streets to and fro, and snipers are on standby as they aim arbitrarily at a citizen on a mission of securing sustenance for their families, yet Joumaa remains preoccupied with the fact that he forgot to buy a squash from the market. He sees headless bodies sprawled limply across the streets, their heads hanging from a clock tower as if in a daze, but he remains unperturbed and driven to engage in conversations about women in a coffee shop.
While there is much to note as to the translator’s inefficiency in capturing the culture of the idioms, phrases, and expressions used throughout the novel, a line blends between holding either the translation or the author at fault for failing to deliver authentic documentation of the life under the emotional and physical debris of war. Certain passages written in a lyrical manner across the novel serve as proof that the writer can indeed portray a narrative that is both grim and celebratory of life, but the majority of the novel hunkers into a style that is monotonous and dull, almost emulating a news report.
In all, it does not entirely erase the purpose embedded within the fabric of the narrative: you never get to know the depth of the characters the same way you wouldn’t expect to view people beyond the scope of their one-dimensional existence at war; you don’t have much say in how things are steered as you are forced into making a living out of the crumbs you collect along the way; and you don’t truly make much progress without ending up in a roundabout of where you started and how far you are allowed to tread. However, if we justify the purpose of every war story as a reflection of the undetailed life under conflict, then when do we ever get to truly know their full-fledged stories?
September 26, 2025
Real Rating: 3.75* of five
The Publisher Says: "Potent ... intimate, humorous and compelling ... One of the best Syrian novelists of his generation and one of the most exciting writers to emerge from the region since the Arab Spring."— The Times Literary Supplement
Set in Aleppo in 2012, when everyday life was metronomically punctuated by bombing, Roundabout of Death offers powerful witness to the violence that obliterated the ancient city's rich layers of history, its neighborhoods, and medieval and Ottoman landmarks. The novel is told from the perspective of an ordinary man, a schoolteacher of Arabic for whom even daily errands become life-threatening tasks.
He experiences the wide-scale destruction wrought upon the monumental Syrian metropolis as it became the stage for a vicious struggle between warring powers. Death hovers ever closer while the teacher roams Aleppo’s streets and byways, minutely observing the perils of urban life in an uncanny twist on Baudelaire's flâneur.
The novel, a literary edifice erected as an unflinching response to the erasure of a once great city, speaks eloquently of the fragmentation of human existence and the calamities of war.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: Like life as we are told in multiple stories both fiction and nonfictionlived in war zones, this is a collection of vignettes and impressions that impress themselves on the narrator. He is a Syrian teacher of Arabic, the man on the Clapham omnibus, and at the mercy of the violence then ravaging now-destroyed Aleppo in 2012. Simple daily acts carry huge time penalties and require significant personal risk of harm, let alone crossing the many internal control points to find his kidnapped brother.
A moving story, sure to appeal to vibes-reading souls who urgently desire peace; for all that I think this 2017 book might be "of its time" not necessarily ours.
The Publisher Says: "Potent ... intimate, humorous and compelling ... One of the best Syrian novelists of his generation and one of the most exciting writers to emerge from the region since the Arab Spring."— The Times Literary Supplement
Set in Aleppo in 2012, when everyday life was metronomically punctuated by bombing, Roundabout of Death offers powerful witness to the violence that obliterated the ancient city's rich layers of history, its neighborhoods, and medieval and Ottoman landmarks. The novel is told from the perspective of an ordinary man, a schoolteacher of Arabic for whom even daily errands become life-threatening tasks.
He experiences the wide-scale destruction wrought upon the monumental Syrian metropolis as it became the stage for a vicious struggle between warring powers. Death hovers ever closer while the teacher roams Aleppo’s streets and byways, minutely observing the perils of urban life in an uncanny twist on Baudelaire's flâneur.
The novel, a literary edifice erected as an unflinching response to the erasure of a once great city, speaks eloquently of the fragmentation of human existence and the calamities of war.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: Like life as we are told in multiple stories both fiction and nonfictionlived in war zones, this is a collection of vignettes and impressions that impress themselves on the narrator. He is a Syrian teacher of Arabic, the man on the Clapham omnibus, and at the mercy of the violence then ravaging now-destroyed Aleppo in 2012. Simple daily acts carry huge time penalties and require significant personal risk of harm, let alone crossing the many internal control points to find his kidnapped brother.
A moving story, sure to appeal to vibes-reading souls who urgently desire peace; for all that I think this 2017 book might be "of its time" not necessarily ours.
July 28, 2024
Roundabout of Death is a stark, unflinching portrayal of the Syrian civil war. Set in Aleppo, the novel follows Jumaa, an Arabic teacher, as he navigates the terrifying reality of life under siege. Khartash’s prose is spare and precise, mirroring the stripped-down existence of his characters.
At its core, Roundabout of Death is a chronicle of survival. The novel doesn't shy away from the horrors of war, but it also focuses on the ordinary acts of courage and resilience displayed by its characters. Jumaa becomes a symbol of the countless Syrians who endured unimaginable suffering while trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy.
Aleppo is a central character in the novel. Khartash paints a vivid picture of a city in ruins, where the familiar has been transformed into a terrifying landscape. The roundabout, a symbol of both connection and isolation, becomes a microcosm of the city's plight. The novel effectively conveys the claustrophobia and despair experienced by those trapped in the conflict.
Khartash's work is a powerful indictment of war and its devastating impact on individuals and societies. The novel highlights the erosion of human values, the loss of innocence, and the psychological trauma inflicted by conflict. Through Jumaa's experiences, the reader gains a profound understanding of the human cost of war.
Khartash's minimalist style is both a strength and a challenge. While it effectively conveys the bleakness of the situation, it can also make the novel emotionally distant at times. However, the author's precise language and vivid imagery create a haunting portrait of war. Roundabout of Death is a harrowing but necessary read. It offers a stark and unflinching look at the Syrian civil war, humanizing its victims and challenging readers to confront the realities of conflict. The novel's power lies in its simplicity and its ability to evoke a deep sense of empathy for the suffering of the Syrian people.
At its core, Roundabout of Death is a chronicle of survival. The novel doesn't shy away from the horrors of war, but it also focuses on the ordinary acts of courage and resilience displayed by its characters. Jumaa becomes a symbol of the countless Syrians who endured unimaginable suffering while trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy.
Aleppo is a central character in the novel. Khartash paints a vivid picture of a city in ruins, where the familiar has been transformed into a terrifying landscape. The roundabout, a symbol of both connection and isolation, becomes a microcosm of the city's plight. The novel effectively conveys the claustrophobia and despair experienced by those trapped in the conflict.
Khartash's work is a powerful indictment of war and its devastating impact on individuals and societies. The novel highlights the erosion of human values, the loss of innocence, and the psychological trauma inflicted by conflict. Through Jumaa's experiences, the reader gains a profound understanding of the human cost of war.
Khartash's minimalist style is both a strength and a challenge. While it effectively conveys the bleakness of the situation, it can also make the novel emotionally distant at times. However, the author's precise language and vivid imagery create a haunting portrait of war. Roundabout of Death is a harrowing but necessary read. It offers a stark and unflinching look at the Syrian civil war, humanizing its victims and challenging readers to confront the realities of conflict. The novel's power lies in its simplicity and its ability to evoke a deep sense of empathy for the suffering of the Syrian people.
March 27, 2023
This book really gives you an insight about the normal civilian during wartime. The story of the people just wanting to live. Through a memoir style fiction the writer gives us sight into the life of a man living in Aleppo during wartime in Syria. The book discribes the absolute horror of war, and how normal life is impossible because of the people who decided to hurt others. The book describes many hard themes: murder, bombing, young unknowing soldiers, hunger, Divided nation, religieus oppression, sexism, torture, propaganda, corruption and sooo much more so it is a tough book to read.
I didn't give it a five star due to the monotone writing style the book had. Also there was one sentence that didn't hit me the right way as homosexuality was put together with adulterating and thieving. I don't know if the writer actually sees this as wrong but it sounded like it, and I think it's a bit hypocritical to talk about being oppressed during war but then you yourself oppress others willingly too. Maybe I read the sentence wrong but still the book is 4 stars even without this.
A lot of moment is the book really made me so emotional. Definitely because it is a wartime book about something so relevant. World war 2 stories you can always distant yourself from in some way now in 2023 even if the events were horrible as that was in 1940. This book tells the story of a war in 2015.. It hits differently for sure. I'd definitely recommend this book to anybody wanting to learn more about the events in Syria. I feel it is good to see this from the eyes of a civilian.
I didn't give it a five star due to the monotone writing style the book had. Also there was one sentence that didn't hit me the right way as homosexuality was put together with adulterating and thieving. I don't know if the writer actually sees this as wrong but it sounded like it, and I think it's a bit hypocritical to talk about being oppressed during war but then you yourself oppress others willingly too. Maybe I read the sentence wrong but still the book is 4 stars even without this.
A lot of moment is the book really made me so emotional. Definitely because it is a wartime book about something so relevant. World war 2 stories you can always distant yourself from in some way now in 2023 even if the events were horrible as that was in 1940. This book tells the story of a war in 2015.. It hits differently for sure. I'd definitely recommend this book to anybody wanting to learn more about the events in Syria. I feel it is good to see this from the eyes of a civilian.
December 15, 2021
Neither a novel or a collection of short stories, Roundabout of Death is really a string of vignettes linked by the common protagonist, locations, and time period. The passages are virtually without emotion, the first person accounts delivered in a rather dead-pan fashion. The reader is presented with ordinary people adapting to extraordinary circumstances in order to continue their ordinary lives. Surrounded by sudden bursts of gunfire and explosions, armed men visible and hidden, casualties are frequent and random. Yet more description is given to the destruction of buildings than the injuries to people. Utilities function sporadically, water is especially limited, but food widely available, if costly. The protagonist wanders about the city of Aleppo mostly unconcerned with the risks and even travels over 100 miles into ISIS territory. Multiple checkpoints are always passed successfully requiring only time, patience, and the necessary baksheesh. Early on the protagonist admits to a lack of fixed opinions, inclined to argue from opposing positions on a whim. When his son is arrested and spirited away to Damascus, his wife is hysterical but his reaction is decidedly stoic. The most interesting segment by far is the transformation of an acquaintance from film student in Paris to a jihadist.
September 7, 2025
This book provides a good snapshot of harrowing life during the Syrian Civil War, there are some good passages but also points where isn’t was unclear if it was referencing present day or the past and it would sometimes switch from first to second to third person which was confusing, I assume this was a translation issue rather than a style of writing. It did seem to lack plot and significant character development but perhaps that was the writing style.
June 7, 2024
[the max weiss translation not the actual book in arabic by khartash]
it was so promising but i can tell that alot was lost in translation - there were very lazy attempts at translating some phrases and jokes which didn't work at all. felt overly descriptive and literal but i really think the arabic version would be way better.
it was so promising but i can tell that alot was lost in translation - there were very lazy attempts at translating some phrases and jokes which didn't work at all. felt overly descriptive and literal but i really think the arabic version would be way better.
August 12, 2023
This book is perhaps best described as a collection of vignettes rather than a novel. Through the eyes of a schoolteacher, the reader gets a series of glimpses of a civilian's life in wartorn Aleppo. Haunting, but ultimately too little substance and depth for me.
February 24, 2021
This is definitely a case of it's me and not you, dear book.
The story suffered from a couple of pet peeves of mine that I had a hard time ignoring. There were idiosyncrasies in the writing style that got on my nerves. The story itself did have some interesting information in it, I just wish I'd liked it more.
I received this book from Edelweiss for my honest review.
The story suffered from a couple of pet peeves of mine that I had a hard time ignoring. There were idiosyncrasies in the writing style that got on my nerves. The story itself did have some interesting information in it, I just wish I'd liked it more.
I received this book from Edelweiss for my honest review.
November 16, 2021
Short gut punch of a book. Gives an account of life during the Syrian Civil War and the daily struggles to keep a life. Hoping for more translations of the author.
February 15, 2022
It was a good insight
October 8, 2022
3-3.5(?)
i dont rly like his artistic choice of switching between first and third person. i like the mundaneness of it all, although it didn’t achieve the poignancy i think it was aiming for.
i dont rly like his artistic choice of switching between first and third person. i like the mundaneness of it all, although it didn’t achieve the poignancy i think it was aiming for.
Read
September 1, 2024The way this story is told does not work for me. Maybe it's the translation but it was a jumbled mess. Sad dnf
June 17, 2024
I was gifted this book as I'm looking to read more Arab authors, also works in translation.
Really amazed by the writing about everyday life of regular people under war. The protagonist picking the freshest zucchini while gun shots carry on the background, moving from one cafe to the other while more infrastructure is destroyed, women navigating this context. The time spent in traveling short and long distances, in filling water, in waiting. I found the form of the book impressive - the back stories of individuals, the history sprinkled across the present days of the protagonist/s. I really appreciate being introduced to Faysal Khartash's writings. He writes the book for himself and his people. Its clear that the book is not written with 'western' readers in mind - there is a richness.
It was hard to read the book while the siege on Palestine continues. I found it useful to read more rather than getting numbed by the headlines and images. Grateful.
Really amazed by the writing about everyday life of regular people under war. The protagonist picking the freshest zucchini while gun shots carry on the background, moving from one cafe to the other while more infrastructure is destroyed, women navigating this context. The time spent in traveling short and long distances, in filling water, in waiting. I found the form of the book impressive - the back stories of individuals, the history sprinkled across the present days of the protagonist/s. I really appreciate being introduced to Faysal Khartash's writings. He writes the book for himself and his people. Its clear that the book is not written with 'western' readers in mind - there is a richness.
It was hard to read the book while the siege on Palestine continues. I found it useful to read more rather than getting numbed by the headlines and images. Grateful.
July 23, 2024
I thought it would be more enticing, but I did enjoy the way the book looped back to the first scene right at the very end (suggesting the roundabout of death). It was very descriptive, the narrator seemed to describe these horrific scenes in a very mundane way. I didn't love the writing style, though.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews