A review by yourbookishbff
Muneera and the Moon by Sonia Sulaiman

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This is a fascinating collection of short stories, all inspired by Palestinian folklore but playing with very different speculative styles. Where stories like Muneera and the Moon and Autumn Child feel like queer and gender-bent fairytale retellings, stories like What the Ghouleh Said on Thursday of the Dead and The Birds Who Turned to Stone feel more like prophetic horror. My favorites of the collection are Muneera and the Moon, From Whole Cloth, Handala: The Olive, the Storm, and the Sea, and Autumn Child. Sulaiman's voice comes through clearly throughout - lyrical, pensive, gripping - and the political and historical commentary on Palestinian trauma, diaspora and colonization are naturally woven into these stories without feeling too heavy handed. 

I would note, though, that the stories feel really different in scope and style, making this feel a bit disconnected as a collection. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed each story and would recommend this to fantasy and speculative fiction readers interested in Palestinian folklore.
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