ellaroshea 's review for:

Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

4.0

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this book was so complex. it reminded me in parts of the handmaid's tale (particularly the bits in the cube), but of course it is so much closer to reality than the handmaid's tale/makes me think about how the fear in that story is drawn from pre-existing fear and horror. I love how family relationships and love in a 'loveless world' are portrayed so much, across time and space. nahr has truly been through so much and this was painful to read in places. while some things she says/others around her did were difficult to read and i wasn't sure if I personally agreed with them, the book does paint a picture of a societal context that lets you understand where these things come from. there is so much pain and injustice and anguish written throughout the fabric of this story and it truly does feel like a struggle against the loveless world. it also does a lot in terms of humanising palestinians in a world that so often dehumanises them.