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emily_mh's review against another edition
4.5
This was a really solid collection of short stories by Sulaiman. There was so much creativity, depth, and poignancy to be found. My favourites were Tatreez, The Mandrake Loves the Olive, and From Whole Cloth. As always, below are my individual reviews for each story.
Muneera: This was a very short story, and as such the romance at the core of it felt rushed and incomplete. Also, I wish the author had been clearer here with what pronoun was referring to what person. However, I always like romances where those involved finally feel accepted by someone for who they truly are.
Tatreez: I like the connections that were drawn by this story. We begin with MC Miri trying to find herself and her fellow Palestinians in (Western) library books and not succeeding, and end with Miri writing herself into the narrative, having discovered herself and her people in a different kind of text: her grandmother’s tatreez.
The Mandrake Loves the Olive: indigenous peoples care for the land, and in turn the land cares for them, and what better way to embody this concept in the case of the Palestinians than by seeing thousands of years of history through a mandrake, as it grows its way toward an olive tree, just in time to protect it from Zionists in 1948?
From Whole Cloth: I was enthralled by this. I loved how the storyteller’s enjoyment in making up whatever story she pleased mirrored how the prince and her were going to make the story of their marriage their own, make it fit their own desires. And aces will always have my heart, of course.
Handala: The Olive, the Storm, and the Sea: This story is the Greek gods meet Naji al-Ali’s Handala, as an allegory for Westerners meeting Palestinians, and how us Westerners see ourselves as benefactors when we often aren’t materially making change for Palestinians. I think this quote drove that point home:
“‘And that’s the problem,’ said the boy. ‘I don’t need your pity; I need an ally. And that means you will have to give up something; some of your power and position to BLANK what is broken, to bring the world back into tune.’”
The narrative also expounds on the anger Westerners have when confronted with this truth, and that what we offer as benevolent gifts are just human rights that every person should already have. There could also be an allegory to Israel and Palestine here, as Handala at one point is threatened with death by Poseidon and so strikes back at him; he (a child!) is then deemed an aggressor and a threat: “‘I’m a child, and you’re a god. You struck me and so I struck you back.’” Truly such a thought-provoking story.
Autumn Child: this was another romance, and again, because of the length, it did feel a bit shallow. But I actually really liked how the immortal/mortal trope was subverted, in that at first the mortal worshipped the god, and then the god worshipped the mortal, who himself becomes the god’s immortal equal.
The Zaffah: this was an unusual addition, being almost a kind of filler in the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. It was interesting seeing the bad omens Sulaiman constructed for the wedding day, especially the final one which forebodingly echoed Orpheus’ future actions in the Underworld.
What the Ghouleh Said on Thursday of the Dead: this was thematically similar to The Mandrake Loves the Olive. Here, it is the dead who are disenfranchised by Israeli colonisers, and the undead who rise in response. This story was poignant, showing that even in death Israel torments Palestinians.
Rumayne: the narrative voice here was entertaining; I could very much picture the bumbling archival assistant who accidentally finds himself in Palestinian retelling of Snow White. It did feel a bit random and abrupt as a story, though.
Megiddo: as someone who studies history, being able to travel back in time is the dream, so I was living vicariously through the MCs. The story asks: what if history looked completely different to how we imagine? It was an entertaining question to consider.
The Nettle Branch: this was the kind of tale you can easily see being adapted to a full-length middle-grade novel. It had all that sort of charm.
The Birds Who Turned to Stone: I didn’t quite get this one, and that’s probably on me. I think it was about the enduring nature of art.
The Marriage: I didn’t get this one either, and it’s probably a me thing again. I didn’t understand what or who the parasite was supposed to represent.
The Witches of Ascalon: a heartbreaking story about how men don’t see women as people. This was well-written, and topped off with plant magic (my favourite).
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder, Violence, Sexism, War, Animal death, Acephobia/Arophobia, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Slavery, Colonisation, Child abuse, Grief, and Sexual content
Minor: loss of a loved one, reference to the Nakba
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