A review by spauffwrites
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine

3.0

Aaliyah lives alone, surrounded by books. Separated from her family and shunning the people around her, she spends her days translating books into Arabic that no one will read. A bit cantankerous, she insists she is fine with her life, but as her past is revealed, the portrait that emerges is one of loneliness. The writing is beautiful, in a confessional, meandering sort of way. The scenes with Aaliyah's mother and Hannah are particularly heart-wrenching. My favorite characters were the "three witches" — the women that live above Aaliyah and eventually become her friends, helping to save her precious books. This is a novel that is more about characters than plot, more about poetic writing than story, and good for those who enough books about books.