A review by allzen_nochill
Guapa by Saleem Haddad

challenging emotional reflective medium-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? Yes

4.5

I wanted to simultaneously savor and race through this novel. This is a stunning debut, a meditation on queerness and the Arab Spring that is written in such a beautiful style. Haddad masterfully draws us in to Rasa's world, and there are some truly poetic lines in here. As queer people we are caught between wanting to embrace our heritage and feeling rejected by it, and Rasa's struggle with the idea of eib throughout the book is a poignant depiction of that. Honestly would buy this one.