Reviews

The Book of Gaza: A City in Short Fiction by Atef Abu Saif

sharkybookshelf's review

4.0

A collection of a dozen short stories written by a range of Gazan authors, painting a complex portrait of the city and strip.

As with any collection of short stories, particularly when it involves a variety of authors, some of the stories worked better for me than others. But the range of authors also means that the stories cover a cross-section of Gazan society, and together, they draw a rich and diverse portrait of Gaza and its many inhabitants - a bittersweet, particularly poignant one given that every location mentioned has almost certainly been razed by this point.

I found Abu Saif’s introduction very interesting - it gives context to the stories and authors, explaining the different waves of short story writers over time. Some of these stories are recent, some first published several decades ago, and I would have greatly appreciated a little note at the start of each story stating when it was written or first published. It would situate the story in time (not always obvious) but also help to compare the stories, what has and hasn’t changed over time. Yes, the reader can trawl the copyright page to figure it out, but it would be a simple inclusion that wouldn’t interrupt the flow of reading. (Obviously this is an extremely minor quibble.)

A collection of short stories that weave a rich, diverse and poignant portrait of Gaza - now a testament to some of what has been lost.

nicolereadss_'s review

fast-paced

3.0

craftysilicate's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

remembered_reads's review

sad medium-paced

3.5

arkanlz's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

livsliterarynook's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

leahthenerd's review

challenging fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

it's so wild reading this ten years after it was published, and seeing what a hellscape gaza has been for so long.

I just wish I was a short story girlie

albsbooks_'s review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

mirroredhearts's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

awesomejen2's review

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.0