Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

Book Review

Stop what you’re doing and go buy this book!

Not only is the cover a work of art, but the pages are filled with lyrical prose that give voice to a community not often written about in mainstream literature. Despite the fact that it’s only March, this book will undoubtedly make my list of 2021 favorites.

This historical fiction story begins with the lead character, Nahr, imprisoned in “the Cube”, a high-tech solitary confinement cell in Israel. After years of detainment for an undetermined crime, Nahr begins to write the story of her extraordinary life.

Born in Kuwait to Palestinian refugees, Nahr spends much of her life as a political refugee. After the US invasion of Iraq, she and her family are forced to leave their home in Kuwait and start a new life in Jordan. She ultimately lands in Palestine where she falls in love and joins the resistance amidst the Israeli occupation. Through a failed marriage, poverty and fraught political conditions, Nahr is forced to rely on her sexuality, resourcefulness and whit to survive and provide for her family.

The author does a fantastic job of weaving in fiction with factual events and the character development of Nhar is truly masterful. Her story is tremendously moving and she is a character I won’t soon forget.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

If you’re looking for your next book club selection - particularly one with a badass female lead, this would make an excellent book to discuss.