A review by marcymurli
The Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem

5.0

This is a splendid, powerful, satirical novel, beautifully translated by the poet Sinan Antoon. It's a powerful conceit: that in a moment all the 48 Palestinians (known in the West as Palestinian citizens of Israel) disappear. No one knows how or why. But we see the unfolding of typical Zionist behavior in real time - taking over their homes and belongings, reading through their intimate papers, and stealing their stories. I haven't read such wonderful satire since Emile Habiby's "The Pessoptimist."