Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Against the Loveless World

"But I know now that going from place to place is just something exiles have to do. Whatever the reason, the earth is never steady beneath our feet."

Against the Loveless World is a very thematically charged novel. Following the life of a Palestinian woman named Nahr, she is continuously upheaved by political turmoil leading to her making home in various places including Kuwait, Jordan, and Palestine, eventually landing her in an Israeli prison where she writes her story. Along the way the book discusses a very large variety of topics related to the region, including but not limited to genocide, colonialism, and feminism. It's a fiction novel that reflects the reality for many Palestinians.

The prose was absolutely gorgeous, flowing smoothly and lyrically, immediately transporting the reader into the story. It's pretty episodic and I liked some sections more than others, in particular the one where she was a prostitute and the one where she was actively rebelling against Israel I found the most interesting and poignant. I do wish that the book had lingered more on some aspects as at times it felt as if it was mentioning themes and topics without fleshing them fully out. I also found Nahr to be somewhat distant from the reader, she was often pretty passive and I never felt I really knew what were her personal beliefs and motives. The sections I mentioned enjoying the most where the ones Nahr and the themes were the most fully realized.

There's a lot to unpack and think about with this book and it's a good reminder for me that I still have a lot to learn about Middle Eastern history. It's a thematically rich story about someone marginalized by both her ethnicity and gender, left wayward in a world torn apart by violence.

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bdingz's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is so beautifully written. Nahr goes through so many horrific things, but this is as much a story of joy as it is a story of pain and resistance. The characters find solace in each other, as well as simple comforts like food and tea or skincare and nail polish. This could have only been bleak and sad, and it would’ve had every right to be…but it was so much more.

If you think you can stomach the CWs, read this ASAP.

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nineinchnails's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

this was another heartwrenching book from abulhawa. there's something about the way she weaves a story that really draws me in. just like Mornings in Jenin this deals with some very topics, so it was hard to read huge chunks in one sitting. despite being a work of fiction it's very clearly grounded in and inspired by real historical (and current) events so it's hard to "enjoy" this for its story without feeling an immense sense of grief for the countless victims of israel. the main character was initially fairly detached from and unmoved by palestine, and experiencing her (re)discovery of her homeland was incredibly touching. the writing in general was beautiful, and both the setting and the pacing were very intriguing. despite all the horror and trauma the characters find community with one another and i found myself almost forgetting how painful the rest of the book was at parts.

i particularly enjoy more character driven novels so while i noticed a change in pace later on, i didn't ever feel like it dragged before that point - this might be a slight issue for some readers. i'd recommend this to anyone and everyone but there is a big focus on sexual violence in the first part of this novel, so i think it's worth checking the trigger warnings before you pick this one up.

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twitchywitchy314's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book was a beautifully gut wrenching read. Stories of what it's like to live as a refugee, to live under siege and occupation and of resistance and of love that endures despite brutal oppression. A must read.

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murderousscottishgremlin's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Such a poignant, important story. Abulhawa’s characterisation and style is striking. I’ll be thinking about this book for a while.

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merenr's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Exquisite book that is currently in my runnings for best read of the year (so far). Abulhawa captures multiple worlds with feeling and gorgeous prose that leaves my eyes watering or downpouring. It is rare that I read a book and cry at both happy and sad parts.

Abulhawa offers priceless insight into why people keep going, despite the suffering of the "Loveless World." After hearing this book lived in her head for twenty years, I treat its pages as a reassurance to my twenty-year-old self and beyond.

I must acknowledge that the real life stories of Palestinians and the Diaspora may not experience as much luck as Nahr, though I hate to call it that (that Bilal is still alive and she is able to reunite with her family and friend); this makes reading the ending ever more like a lingering aftertaste of sorrow and pain for all those in real life who are displaced, martyred, and living with severe trauma every day because of white supremacy, settler colonialism, Zionism, racism, etc. First of all, I hope people already regard Black and Brown lives as indispensable and infinitely precious, but if they don't, I hope they can pick up a book like this one, make a new friend, do the work, and become an accomplice to liberation.

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emersoncochran's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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lizziaha's review against another edition

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4.25

This is a story that spans years, and yet feels like only a very small part of the overall story. It reads like a memoir, and I honestly had a hard time reading it. It was hard to wrestle with how my opinions and pre-conceived notions occasionally differed from Nahr’s. And it was difficult to witness such human suffering. My brain kept trying to negate the seriousness of the events of this book because they are fictional, so I had to keep reminding myself to Palestinians face this and more at the hands of Israel. It made reading this book a very involved process for me. Which is why I think it is a book that is essential to the canon, and should be read and studied more widely. The characters all felt very complex and flawed, and abulhawa gave them space for that. There were some moments of real beauty and lyricism in the written word. Particularly in depictions of the Palestinian culture and people. From the river to the sea 🇵🇸

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