A review by happiestwhenreading
Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
5.0
Reading this under a completely different context than I did last year. When the Isreal/Hamas War broke out, I was halfway through Etaf Rum's new release, Evil Eye. Flashbacks of this book instantly came to mind and I knew I would reread it as soon as possible. I remembered AtLW was through the eyes of Palestinians and a resistance force, so I wanted to revisit the story.
My biggest takeaway from the last few weeks - in real life and through the Palestinian-focused fiction I've read - is that there are a lot of innocent civilians getting caught in the crossfire. I will never advocate for the killing of innocent people - especially defenseless children. I will also never understand how we are confused that these kids that live among constant bombardment of their homes and the killing of their family members won't result in them hating the opposing side. The more we displace people and terrorize them, the more turmoil, hate, and further trauma ensues.
I know it's not as simple as waving a wand and creating world peace, but I sure wish it was. We are all complicit...and we are all innocent. The heads of all our governments are creating this divide and we are simply the pawns in their games. It makes me sick and my heart goes out to the hostages that Hamas still holds captive, and the civilians of Palestine that quite literally have nowhere to go as their skies are constantly under attack. I'm still baffled by how we KEEP getting it so fucking wrong (sorry for the language)??
Nahr is a character I won't soon forget. And reading the book this time as events are unfolding in real life, I couldn't help but imagine it was her face in some of the pictures I've seen come across social media. She is resourceful, but even as I admire that strength in her, I am saddened that she has to be. I loved her relationship with Bilal - the way they could remain tender and hopeful while also fighting for their lives, the lives of their loved ones, and for their homeland.
There are no good solutions to the current events happening in the Middle East, but I appreciate a way to see another perspective through stories told in books. I wish the contents of the books could be considered "history" vs "current events"...someday soon, I pray.
My biggest takeaway from the last few weeks - in real life and through the Palestinian-focused fiction I've read - is that there are a lot of innocent civilians getting caught in the crossfire. I will never advocate for the killing of innocent people - especially defenseless children. I will also never understand how we are confused that these kids that live among constant bombardment of their homes and the killing of their family members won't result in them hating the opposing side. The more we displace people and terrorize them, the more turmoil, hate, and further trauma ensues.
I know it's not as simple as waving a wand and creating world peace, but I sure wish it was. We are all complicit...and we are all innocent. The heads of all our governments are creating this divide and we are simply the pawns in their games. It makes me sick and my heart goes out to the hostages that Hamas still holds captive, and the civilians of Palestine that quite literally have nowhere to go as their skies are constantly under attack. I'm still baffled by how we KEEP getting it so fucking wrong (sorry for the language)??
Nahr is a character I won't soon forget. And reading the book this time as events are unfolding in real life, I couldn't help but imagine it was her face in some of the pictures I've seen come across social media. She is resourceful, but even as I admire that strength in her, I am saddened that she has to be. I loved her relationship with Bilal - the way they could remain tender and hopeful while also fighting for their lives, the lives of their loved ones, and for their homeland.
There are no good solutions to the current events happening in the Middle East, but I appreciate a way to see another perspective through stories told in books. I wish the contents of the books could be considered "history" vs "current events"...someday soon, I pray.