Reviews

Snow in Amman: An Anthology of Short Stories from Jordan by Ibtihal R. Mahmood, Alexander Haddad

bookishmillennial's review

• discusses the underrepresentation of Jordanian literature 
• genres of short stories range from slice of life to horror 
• Big Fang by Julnar Zain was my favorite story

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Death

rebeccameyrink's review

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

"In choosing the pieces to include in this anthology, I made it a mission to seek out Jordanian works that avoided the Orientalizing influence that has become such a destructive cliche among works of Arabic fiction in translation. Enough has been said about tents and camels, virgins in veils, starry nights in the Sahara. Instead of focusing on the "otherness" of the Other, I was on the lookout for works that celebrated those aspects of being human which, despite the twin barriers of language and culture, remain ultimately universal."

I really enjoyed this anthology of short stories. It was varied in subject matter which I really enjoyed. I especially liked the final stories in this book.