Compelling and beautifully written, January 9, 2007 (Amazon.com)
By M. Lodge

This narrative may be fiction, but it tells the common experience of Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories and in the diaspora. Abulhawa touches on critical historical events, 1948, 1967, Sabra & Shatila, as well as life under military occupation and the ensuing uprisings. She places these events in the context of human lives and mundane daily events of cooking meals, going to school, making love, and raising children. Her characters have both complexity and humanity, drawing in the reader to care about their circumstance and future.

Abulhawa encapsulates a variety of Palestinian experiences, including growing up in a refugee camp, moving abroad, participation in military actions, and wishing the rest of the world would take notice of the injustice. Abulhawa deftly includes the lives of Israelis, as well, treating them with respect and touching on the experiences of surviving the Holocaust and mandatory military service.

The book reads very quickly; I had to force myself to slow down to savor Abulhawa’s prose. Her writing is deeply felt and very tangible. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.