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A review by hortongr
Sabriya: Damascus Bitter Sweet by Ulfat Idilbi
5.0
This book was originally assigned to me as a required reading for my Writing II class (Anthro M67W / Middle Eastern Studies 50CW) which was focused on Middle Eastern modern history. Unfortunately I got super sick last quarter (mono :( ) and only got through the first 20 pages before I decided it would be best for me to move on to the next assignment so I wouldn’t fall so far behind. I really enjoyed the first part when I read it originally and decided to keep it with me at school through winter quarter rather than taking it home, just in case I had time to read it. That was the best decision I could have made.
This book is absolutely breathtaking especially in its portrayal of emotions. The love, despair, and grief the main character experiences are so tangible because of how effectively Idilbi writes. Beyond how beautifully this book was written, I also enjoyed reading it because it was refreshing to read something outside Western literature. It’s obvious how the writing styles of authors from the “west” differ from that of authors of the middle east, and I am glad that they differ so clearly. It challenged me to abandon my preconception of what a book should sound like, read like, or feel like, and put me into a headspace where I was able to appreciate the novel for what it really is: a form of art.
“Why is it that the people of my country demand freedom and at the same time cannot grant it to each other?”
This book is absolutely breathtaking especially in its portrayal of emotions. The love, despair, and grief the main character experiences are so tangible because of how effectively Idilbi writes. Beyond how beautifully this book was written, I also enjoyed reading it because it was refreshing to read something outside Western literature. It’s obvious how the writing styles of authors from the “west” differ from that of authors of the middle east, and I am glad that they differ so clearly. It challenged me to abandon my preconception of what a book should sound like, read like, or feel like, and put me into a headspace where I was able to appreciate the novel for what it really is: a form of art.
“Why is it that the people of my country demand freedom and at the same time cannot grant it to each other?”