A review by littletaiko
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine

4.0

This was an unusual, somewhat challenging, and ultimately meaningful book to read, at least for me. Aaliya has survived through Beirut's civil war in part due to her love of literature. Books seem to be the way she has clung to her sanity as much as the rituals surrounding her work with books. This is very much about an older woman trying to come to grips with aging, loss of people, and learning to interact with others when it so much easier to just shut yourself off from the rest of the world. The literary references were great even if some went over my head.