Tournament of Books discussion

Space to discuss the 2026 TOB contender Too Soon by Betty Shamieh.

I was really excited to see Too Soon on the long list because I absolutely loved Betty Shamieh’s one act play Tamam, so I grabbed it from the library immediately.

I’m only two chapters in so no real thoughts yet except that it is extremely different stylistically from Tamam (which is a 1-character play written entirely in free verse).

Finished it last night. In general, I preferred the mother/grandmother's stories to Arabella's. It was fine in general - I don't regret giving it my Zombie vote, it's not like it was bad.

I'll say this though: I'm with Aziz. I hate loud eaters. They would never have worked out.

I really liked this! i agree that the mother and grandmother's stories were stronger, and let's just say the author's narration of the Arabella sections in the audiobook definitely show that she is a woman of the theatah! but i loved what it had to say about motherhood and I loved the different perpectives on Palestine and retaining their culture or not when living in America.

I also agree the mother/grandmother stories were better. I didn't really care about Arabella.

b-b-b-but who is she going to date!?!

we simply MUST know who she will have a baby with

i feel very bad for the way the title reminds me intrusively of Elizabeth Holmes’s smarmy fraudulent promises that her company, Theranos, was going to make sure no one ever again needs to die ‘too soon’. That phrase has been permanently spoiled for me.

Audra wrote: "I also agree the mother/grandmother stories were better. I didn't really care about Arabella."

Also something that might as well be from another planet for me.

I finished this recently and really liked it! I have a keen interest in this part of the world, though, so that may have made me like this more. When I was in college in the late 1990s, I took a class on the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. The class culminated with a two-week trip to the West Bank, where we lived with Palestinian families in Ramallah. I have kept in touch with the family I lived with, and even met up with my Palestinian “sister” recently when she visited the US. They were one of the families who used to live in Israel but were pushed into Ramallah in the West Bank. They kept the keys from their old home on display in their house in Ramallah, as if they might return at any moment. Anyway, with that background and prior experience, I was very caught up in this story. Yes, Arabella was a bit annoying and self-focused at times, but the story of her family is pretty heartbreaking when you think about it. Based on what I have studied over the years, the historical details in this novel are quite accurate, and I appreciated that. I am glad to see this story in a novel, and I hope many people read it. We don’t often see the Palestinian perspective in the United States, whether in the news, art, or fiction.

Gwendolyn wrote: "I finished this recently and really liked it! I have a keen interest in this part of the world, though, so that may have made me like this more. When I was in college in the late 1990s, I took a cl..."

Wow, thank you for sharing this! What an incredible experience. The world would be an entirely different place if everyone in the U.S. took that class and trip.

I also appreciated seeing the inclusion of a Palestinian novel here, even if this one wasn't one of my favorites.

Best wishes to the family you're connected with (and all others trying to survive the genocide). <3

This story really grew on me! I enjoyed Zoya's and Naya's chapters, even though we had to suffer through Arabella's annoying chapters. Very grateful for the opportunity to learn more about Palestinian immigration to the US but also how universal themes of love, family and identity are, no matter what our ethnic background.

While Arabella was my least favorite storyline, I didn't hate her chapters. I think I get why she does what she does from a cultural perspective. She was raised with certain expectations and she was stuck between that old world "ideal" / family history and forging her own way. For me, as a white American woman, it was easy to be like, "girl...wut?" But if you put her story in the context of Zoya and Naya, the "boy crazy" aspect makes a little more sense.

It still wasn't my favorite, but it made sense.

I listened to this one and thought I didn't like Arabella's parts because of the narrator that voiced her. She used a breathy voice and her emphasis was off. But it sounds like I might not have liked Arabella's story on paper either!

Mindy wrote: "I listened to this one and thought I didn't like Arabella's parts because of the narrator that voiced her. She used a breathy voice and her emphasis was off. But it sounds like I might not have lik..."

Maybe it was the voice I found annoying! I also listened to the audiobook. Arabella was voiced by the author! I went to watch one of her interviews to see if it was her. And it was. It was so nasally and whiny at times.

I read this one instead of listening. Now I'm glad I did.

Arabella also seemed almost entirely based on the author, too.

That was the AUTHOR?! I had no idea. Oh wow, that's shocking to me that Arabella's creator presented her that way.