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A review by afrathefish
Mother of Strangers by Suad Amiry
4.25
though the writing felt quite … clunky at times, and some themes and instances expressed in the books make you feel rather uncomfortable considering our 2024 sensibilities, reading this book was definitely an experience. through her prose and plot, amiry is able to truly give insight into the various forms of inhumanity palestinians faced and continue to face today, in their land and homes. the sheer barbarity in the way palestinians lost everything was captured so so well in this book. it also captures the complexity in navigating life whilst being colonised - do you continue to resist and continue to lose everything around you or do you work or try to assimilate to the wants and needs of your coloniser, thus gaining back a life but losing your dignity, and feeling like a traitor among your own?
the loss of jaffa as a city is also heartbreaking. amiry’s accounts of what life was like there, and seeing how the richness of the city was lost and eroded through its hostile takeover has genuinely heartbreaking to read. i don’t think i can accurately explain the levels of loss expressed in this book.
it’s also upsetting considering everything in this book very much … happened, and with the escalating attacks in the west bank and the current conflict in gaza, experienced described in this book are very much still ongoing, and it’s genuinely hard to carry on living knowing this to be the case.
the loss of jaffa as a city is also heartbreaking. amiry’s accounts of what life was like there, and seeing how the richness of the city was lost and eroded through its hostile takeover has genuinely heartbreaking to read. i don’t think i can accurately explain the levels of loss expressed in this book.
it’s also upsetting considering everything in this book very much … happened, and with the escalating attacks in the west bank and the current conflict in gaza, experienced described in this book are very much still ongoing, and it’s genuinely hard to carry on living knowing this to be the case.