Grove Press, 2009
Ruba, an eight-year-old Lebanese, Maronite Christian girl is of an age where she is becoming more aware of family tensions, as well as being concerned with real and imaginary childhood issues such as the taunting of her Muslim friend, Karim at school, and her belief that a neighbor woman is a witch who must have put a curse on her depressed father to cause his nearly immobilized condition.
Her older brother, Naji is spending less and less time playing with her as he falls in with some older boys who are engaging in dangerous play.
Her mother and grandmother try to hold the family together emotionally and financially, and the visit of Uncle Wadih lightens the mood temporarily. Ruba, however, discovers that there is a family secret, which everyone but she knows, and which somehow explains her father’s depression and strange rages.
Meanwhile, Israel has invaded Lebanon, and the shelling comes closer and closer to their town. When the bombing finally arrives, the whole family is forced to deal not just with the present danger, but with the painful past.
An interesting book about a culture and history that may be unfamiliar to many Western readers, but with which we can identify emotionally through Abi-Ezzi’s strong writing, even as we learn from it.
No comments:
Post a Comment