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hilaryreadsbooks's review
5.0
Saleem Haddad’s GUAPA happens just over the course of a day in an unnamed Arab country, begins with the moment Rasa’s Teta catches him in bed with another man, ends with the aftermath of a wedding for an old classmate that he has been dreading. All the while, Rasa loses himself in his thoughts, haunted by an increasingly violent regime, an opposition he has fallen out of love with, his parents, the list of eib and sins he has committed (eib translated to shame, though as an interpreter Rasa is quick to tell us it means so much more than that). Haunted by the man he loves who refuses to promise their future together. Haunted by the ways he feels betrayed by everyone and everything around him (including himself)—how being gay and Muslim and Arab makes him an outsider no matter where he goes: here, America, even the hidden space behind shuttered windows and closed doors where he thought he could be his authentic self.
GUAPA is such an important and incredible read for many reasons, one being how it examines under harsh light American exceptionalism, saviorism, and Orientalism in the U.S.’s rhetoric and policy around Arab countries. At one point, as he reflects on his studies in America, Rasa wonders: “And so what did it mean to be Arab now, under America’s harsh gaze? What is Arab or Muslim if not a fabrication, one invented and reinvented by politicians who engineered meaning behind these words to suit their history.”
daniel_t's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Wanted to like this so badly. Outstanding premise and I could feel the lived experience—an all-consuming need for an Arab revolution and queer liberation, but execution felt very amateurish. Excited for whether Haddad ever decides to venture back to novel writing with more experience and confidence towards literary flourish.
hedgehogbookreviews's review
4.0
You can also find this review on Hedgehog Book Reviews!
Rasa is a gay man living in a Muslim country. He has previously been part of the protests and rebellion in his country, but at this point in his life, he is unsure where he stands. Rasa currently lives with his grandmother, who, to her horror, caught him and his lover in bed the night before. The two aren’t on speaking terms, as Rasa flees the house in the morning and his grandmother coincidently sleeps in abnormally late. Rasa is frantically texting his lover, begging that they try and make their relationship work. The responses he’s getting are short and unpromising. In the span of 24 hours, Rasa contemplates his identity—his homosexuality and Arabness—and his place in his country and the world.
Disclaimer: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU GET SAD EASILY! Wow, Guapa made me feel depressed. I seriously spent an entire night moping around after I finished this book. It really took a toll on me. That being said, I still enjoyed it very much and want to share my thoughts with you all!
Guapa is a brilliant novel. It has so many components to it: a political revolution, a religious battle, the questioning of the narrator’s Arabness, and homophobia. I feel like I should read this book a second time in order to process everything. The part that grabbed my attention the most was Rasa’s internal dialogue about his homosexuality. He doesn’t like how his lover is one foot in and one foot out the door, ready to cover up all of his feelings for Rasa in order to conceal his homosexuality at the snap of a finger. His lover doesn’t like to spend time at the local drag bar, in fear that someone he knows will recognize him. Rasa is not like this, though he hides his sexuality, he is not as secretive as his lover. It was really interesting reading Rasa contemplate his relationship in his head. He feels like his lover has betrayed him, because he promised that last night wouldn’t be the last time they saw each other, but now he’s acting like he needs to think their relationship over. This fascinated me.
I liked how Guapa took place over a span of 24 hours. Much of the book was told in flashback format, though the writing was not confusing at all. I enjoy books that successfully tell a lot in a short timespan, like The Catcher in the Rye, because it proves that an author does not need to write about many events in order to make a book great. So much went on in Guapa, so much that I’m not sure that I understood it all. Rasa’s entire life, spanning from the death of his father when he was a child, through his cultural experimenting in college, and to the protests in present day, is described in this book. Yet, only 24 hours pass by in the 354 pages. Saleem Haddad did a fantastic job with this book.
I’m so glad I got this book from the Other Press booth at BookCon. I enjoyed getting to know Rasa and seeing him sort through his internal battles about his identities. Guapa taught me a lot of lessons about general racism and internalized racism; some of which I really needed to hear. Thank you, Saleem Haddad, for writing this wonderful book. I look forward to reading more titles from Other Press in the future.
“This Arabness. This Muslimness. This was all new. A new marker of difference. A “thing” I had been my whole life. A thing which I had previously not given a second thought. But this was not just any old thing. No. This was a thing that killed and maimed and destroyed.”
Rasa is a gay man living in a Muslim country. He has previously been part of the protests and rebellion in his country, but at this point in his life, he is unsure where he stands. Rasa currently lives with his grandmother, who, to her horror, caught him and his lover in bed the night before. The two aren’t on speaking terms, as Rasa flees the house in the morning and his grandmother coincidently sleeps in abnormally late. Rasa is frantically texting his lover, begging that they try and make their relationship work. The responses he’s getting are short and unpromising. In the span of 24 hours, Rasa contemplates his identity—his homosexuality and Arabness—and his place in his country and the world.
Disclaimer: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU GET SAD EASILY! Wow, Guapa made me feel depressed. I seriously spent an entire night moping around after I finished this book. It really took a toll on me. That being said, I still enjoyed it very much and want to share my thoughts with you all!
Guapa is a brilliant novel. It has so many components to it: a political revolution, a religious battle, the questioning of the narrator’s Arabness, and homophobia. I feel like I should read this book a second time in order to process everything. The part that grabbed my attention the most was Rasa’s internal dialogue about his homosexuality. He doesn’t like how his lover is one foot in and one foot out the door, ready to cover up all of his feelings for Rasa in order to conceal his homosexuality at the snap of a finger. His lover doesn’t like to spend time at the local drag bar, in fear that someone he knows will recognize him. Rasa is not like this, though he hides his sexuality, he is not as secretive as his lover. It was really interesting reading Rasa contemplate his relationship in his head. He feels like his lover has betrayed him, because he promised that last night wouldn’t be the last time they saw each other, but now he’s acting like he needs to think their relationship over. This fascinated me.
I liked how Guapa took place over a span of 24 hours. Much of the book was told in flashback format, though the writing was not confusing at all. I enjoy books that successfully tell a lot in a short timespan, like The Catcher in the Rye, because it proves that an author does not need to write about many events in order to make a book great. So much went on in Guapa, so much that I’m not sure that I understood it all. Rasa’s entire life, spanning from the death of his father when he was a child, through his cultural experimenting in college, and to the protests in present day, is described in this book. Yet, only 24 hours pass by in the 354 pages. Saleem Haddad did a fantastic job with this book.
I’m so glad I got this book from the Other Press booth at BookCon. I enjoyed getting to know Rasa and seeing him sort through his internal battles about his identities. Guapa taught me a lot of lessons about general racism and internalized racism; some of which I really needed to hear. Thank you, Saleem Haddad, for writing this wonderful book. I look forward to reading more titles from Other Press in the future.
balletbookworm's review
4.0
A moving debut about a young man caught between his public and private personae. Haddad's writing is strongest when Rasa looks back over his own life, examining his relationship with his grandmother, the growing realization that he is gay, and how he places himself within the larger Arab and Muslim cultures. The forward drive of the plot sort of conks out about halfway through the book but that's a minor complaint. One of the most interesting things I noticed was that nearly every character, major or minor, tells Rasa WHO he is at some point in the book, making it a novel about "labels" as well as Rasa's awakening.
helen464's review
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
someday_linda's review against another edition
4.0
”But in the midst of this decaying, burning city, there are pockets of hope. It can be found in the tiny dark rooms in underground bars, where women with short hair cheer on men in dresses.“
I finished Guapa by Saleem Haddad yesterday and let me tell you: it’s such an intriguing and important read. There are rarely queer stories that are set in an arabic country. But this books tells the story about being caught in-between worlds. Between what you grew up with and about your own freedom. About what you ought to do/be and what you want to do/be. I empathized SO much with the protagonist Rasa and was rooting for him to finally live the life he wanted. It’s a heartbreaking but at the same time hopeful story. Please read it and get a view on the ambivalent life in the arabic world.
I finished Guapa by Saleem Haddad yesterday and let me tell you: it’s such an intriguing and important read. There are rarely queer stories that are set in an arabic country. But this books tells the story about being caught in-between worlds. Between what you grew up with and about your own freedom. About what you ought to do/be and what you want to do/be. I empathized SO much with the protagonist Rasa and was rooting for him to finally live the life he wanted. It’s a heartbreaking but at the same time hopeful story. Please read it and get a view on the ambivalent life in the arabic world.
brnycx's review against another edition
5.0
ugh. UGH. what a beautiful and absolutely, totally heartbreaking book.
guapa unfolds over 24 hours - peppered liberally with mrs dalloway-esque vignetted memories - in the life of rasa, a young gay man in an unidentified middle eastern city. the book follows him as he "digs through [his] roots to find out how [his] branches grow", searching for some place which allows him love, happiness, acceptance, and his habibi taymour - without having to sacrifice any for the others. all that against the backdrop of a failed revolution, a presidential crackdown, and a purported 'terrorist' insurrection.
there are many things this book does so well. the scathing wedding scene is particularly excellent - "i loathe sitting down and participating in inane conversations with proud parents and smug couples who all look like the might secretly hate each other". but its grappling with identity, and the hideous loneliness when 'society' (or societies, in this case) refuses to accept you unless you suppress or deny parts of yourself, is especially adept.
and don't even get me started on taymour and rasa. or rasa and his grandmother - bound together by family and grief, simultaneously drowning and anchoring each other in the apartment they share. i feel like i'll cry for weeks.
guapa unfolds over 24 hours - peppered liberally with mrs dalloway-esque vignetted memories - in the life of rasa, a young gay man in an unidentified middle eastern city. the book follows him as he "digs through [his] roots to find out how [his] branches grow", searching for some place which allows him love, happiness, acceptance, and his habibi taymour - without having to sacrifice any for the others. all that against the backdrop of a failed revolution, a presidential crackdown, and a purported 'terrorist' insurrection.
there are many things this book does so well. the scathing wedding scene is particularly excellent - "i loathe sitting down and participating in inane conversations with proud parents and smug couples who all look like the might secretly hate each other". but its grappling with identity, and the hideous loneliness when 'society' (or societies, in this case) refuses to accept you unless you suppress or deny parts of yourself, is especially adept.
and don't even get me started on taymour and rasa. or rasa and his grandmother - bound together by family and grief, simultaneously drowning and anchoring each other in the apartment they share. i feel like i'll cry for weeks.
valvallie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0