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A review by jaclyn_sixminutesforme
The Palace of Angels by Mohammed Massoud Morsi
4.0
“If there is a place in heaven, I hope it’s like they say it is, without hatred, without violence. Where peace is the currency and our differences the assets. A place where the angels truly exist...”
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This trilogy of novellas/novels (the title story in this bound up edition being the longest) was breathtaking—it managed to simultaneously capture such tender and universal moments of humanity (infertility, romantic love, grief, and more) amidst the traumas and devastation of life in Palestine. The juxtaposition of these on a subject matter level, and the unrelenting and almost fragmentary narrative style in the chapters themselves, was so poignant. It gave a glimpse into an almost unfathomable “everyday,” and anchored the reader in these individual stories. The violences and traumas they experienced were immediate in a way that headlines and news stories by nature often fail to capture.
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The title story follows two young lovers, a Palestinian man working in a hotel—he carves stories in his sculpture work much as he did in his childhood treehouse—and an Israeli woman, a soldier at that. Their early encounters and chance meeting itself mark them as more than simply star-crossed lovers, but two people whom religion and politics and the very location they are in are working at odds to make their relationship impossible. In considering whether they can ever be together he particularly questions his very identity (it is his perspective the narrative follows), and the way this is developed is stunning. Admittedly this final story took me a little to settle into—we start following the man in his youth, the details and early investment in building character took me some time to fall into step with (possibly because this connection was relatively immediate for me in the other two stories). That said, these details are drawn on so richly as the narrative progresses, particularly in a brother-like friendship the man has.
The afterword in this will stay with me for a long time—it’s explanatory and full-circle and imbues the reader with so many closing thoughts that blend the authorial voice with those of the characters depicted. Just brilliant and a read I’d highly recommend!
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Many thanks to the author for reaching out and providing an ebook to read.
.
This trilogy of novellas/novels (the title story in this bound up edition being the longest) was breathtaking—it managed to simultaneously capture such tender and universal moments of humanity (infertility, romantic love, grief, and more) amidst the traumas and devastation of life in Palestine. The juxtaposition of these on a subject matter level, and the unrelenting and almost fragmentary narrative style in the chapters themselves, was so poignant. It gave a glimpse into an almost unfathomable “everyday,” and anchored the reader in these individual stories. The violences and traumas they experienced were immediate in a way that headlines and news stories by nature often fail to capture.
.
The title story follows two young lovers, a Palestinian man working in a hotel—he carves stories in his sculpture work much as he did in his childhood treehouse—and an Israeli woman, a soldier at that. Their early encounters and chance meeting itself mark them as more than simply star-crossed lovers, but two people whom religion and politics and the very location they are in are working at odds to make their relationship impossible. In considering whether they can ever be together he particularly questions his very identity (it is his perspective the narrative follows), and the way this is developed is stunning. Admittedly this final story took me a little to settle into—we start following the man in his youth, the details and early investment in building character took me some time to fall into step with (possibly because this connection was relatively immediate for me in the other two stories). That said, these details are drawn on so richly as the narrative progresses, particularly in a brother-like friendship the man has.
The afterword in this will stay with me for a long time—it’s explanatory and full-circle and imbues the reader with so many closing thoughts that blend the authorial voice with those of the characters depicted. Just brilliant and a read I’d highly recommend!
.
Many thanks to the author for reaching out and providing an ebook to read.