Against the Loveless World A Novel

i am at a loss of words at how much i loved nahr and everything about this book. this is not just a novel, it's a literary masterpiece, a way of life. it perfectly encapsulates the feelings of hope, despair and unwavering resilience and resistance. the novel's writing style is captivating, authentic, and vivid; all the narrative, plot, story and characters are methodically studied and brought to life; everything, from the slightest characterization to the most significant incident, has depth. i could talk about this for days, months and years (considering how much i loved it). tbh this whole book resonated and changed me so profoundly in ways i thought impossible.

This novel was beautifully written, true to history, and the struggle of the Palestinian resistance. It was raw and powerful, beautiful and painful all in one. The story was captivating. 5/5

(4.75 stars) Adding this one to my 'favourites' shelf. The narrator was captivating & all the other characters (especially the female characters) were brilliantly written. I actually enjoyed this one a lot more than 'Mornings in Jenin', by the same author - & I really liked 'Mornings in Jenin'! An incredible story of resistance.

This book honestly felt like 2 different books. Prior to arriving in Palestine it felt graphic and crude for the sake of shocking the reader, while after getting to Palestine the story levels out and becomes engaging, although still difficult to read in many ways. The casual use of sexual assault and frequent reference to it is off putting & and I almost quit several times. (Cw: on page rape at least three times.) In general I appreciated the painting of Palestinian culture and life & was genuinely interested in how it ended. There was a lot of over writing that was cheesy and cliche, though.

** spoiler alert ** This was a beautifully written story and captivated me instantly. It follows the life and reflection of Nahr who is in prison (the cube) while she recounts the events in her life that led up to her being there. A few of my favourite quotes: "My life returns to me in images, smells, and sounds, but never feelings. I feel nothing" "This moment with a stranger twirling in the gorgeous gown my mother had created should have been kind to share with Mama. My mother was a maker of beauty, a brilliant custodian of culture and history. And I was the ungrateful daughter who had not understood until now" The love story with Bilal was really well done, and then heartbreaking - but with a sliver of hope at the end that made me wonder if a sequel might happen. I also loved how much description went into setting each scene, she would always describe gatherings with the food they brought for example and it felt so intimate - like the first quote, how her life returns to her in images, smells and sounds.

This book was a lot to take in. In my undergrad, I focused on Colonial/Post-Colonial literature, but I did not know much about the Palestinian diaspora. Against A Loveless World really brought the experience of Palestinian refugees to light. The many-named narrator somehow evokes both empathy and anger. As she tells her story from her jail cell, we get to see the pain of her life, the sacrifices and compromises she makes to give her family a better life. The way the story flowed was beautiful and refreshing. The characters were well developed, especially the younger brother, Jehad. I felt a lot while reading this book, which has not happened to me in a long time.

I started reading this book last year but left it midway because it got too heavy for me. I picked it up again amidst the Palestinian crisis and oh my God. I wish I could go back in time and read it all over again. What a BEAUTIFUL book.