A review by ccallan
Gate of the Sun: Bab Al-Shams by Elias Khoury

3.0

This book flows along like a river. Told in the second person (which takes some getting used to), the narrator recalls tale after tale of life, love, and war in Palestine from the 1930s to the 1990s. The narrative flows at the same pace and in the same voice throughout, which continually made me think "I'll never finish this." Yet page after page had me turning to see what the next amazing character would do, or why she did that, or how a whole people deals of with memory of loss and dispersal. For someone like me who knew very little of Palestinian history, the needed details are sprinkled throughout with a light touch, placing characters in their time and space, while still allowing them their human foibles, joys, hopes, and regrets.