A review by lisa_savage
The Secret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist by Emile Habiby

5.0

If you loved Candide by Voltaire you owe it to yourself to read this book. The author has created a Palestinian anti-hero of epic proportions, a protagonist so hemmed in by the Israeli occupation and his attempts to placate it at every turn that the story is a classic of hilarious tragedy.

I liked this book so much that I set it down for a couple of months and then read the whole thing again.

Gratitude to the translator!