Behind You Is The Sea

loved loved loved this one! i think it is super important for stories like this one to be out there and for people to educate themselves on the reality of palestinian families living in diaspora not only in the us, but all over the world. the writing was top-notch and not once did i struggle with the broad cast of characters, which is something i usually have a hard time connecting with! i will definitely keep an eye out for susan muaddi darraj’s future projects, because i adored this one to bits.

And incredible collection of interrelated short stories about a family of Palestinians who have immigrated to the United States, and their neighbours. Each story from a different time, but interwoven with the others seamlessly. This is a mediation on what it is like to be Palestinian, to be newly American, to be an Immigrant and to be part of a family.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Behind you is the sea is a collection of interwoven short stories about the experiences of Palestinian Americans in Baltimore. It explores the rich and diverse lives of people even within a niche culture. I really enjoyed the different perspectives of immigrant parents and first generation American children; how the parents and children were attached or detached to their heritage. It explores complicated relationship and complicated people really effectively.

I found this book really interesting and felt I gained important insight into the Palestinian and Palestinian American experience.

Beautifully written, insightful and emotional, highly recommend

4.5 stars
insanely beautiful collection of interconnecting stories about the Palestinian diaspora. i think writing a novel with shifting narratives lends the risk of creating forgettable characters in the mix, but i felt a deep connection to every single character, so much so that i was sad when their chapter would end. i thought the way characters experienced the American dream in their own unique ways was so interesting, seeing the effects of assimilation into Western society vs being unable to, the desperation of clinging to the remnants of ur culture, the cultural stain in being dishonoured from your own family. one of my favourite stories was Samira’s,, the father daughter relationship was soul destroying to read,, and i also loved how the novel had a full circle moment with Marcus visiting Palestine for the first time to return his fathers body,, incredibly moving.

Behind You Is The Sea is a story of three families in a Palestinian community in Baltimore, their lives intertwining across divides of class, generation, and religion.

CW/TW: This book contains themes related to abortion and infertility, cancer, dementia, death, domestic abuse, disordered eating behaviors and body image which may be distressing or triggering for some readers.

I finished this gem in just one day! It gives profound insight into the challenges immigrants face both navigating their new lives and within their families, their generation and other generations. The novel is powerful,heartwarming, heartbreaking and often funny.

The characters are vivid. I particularly loved 'Cleaning Lentils' which reminded me of my own childhood and deep connection with my grandparents.

It's a beautifully written and deeply moving, important novel that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

💭 Have you read and enjoyed any books by Palestinian women authors?

🙏🏼 Thank you to Netgalley SwiftPress for this gifted ARC.

I enjoyed how the stories interconnected and was heartfelt.
Given that there is not many palestinian fiction author in the mainstream, this was a good intro to the culture and background.
I think it's relatable to any immigrant that has come to the west and has to deal with identity, racism and class issues.

This book is the story of Palestinian families who emigrated to the USA or were born there to immigrant parents. We learn of their stories from mainly from the second and third generation immigrant family members but the experiences of the first generations are included in these viewpoints. We see the connections between these families, how they view each other, both within their own community and against the Americans and how this influences their lives. We see how the first generations, try and maintain the Palestine roots through names they give their children, language, food and music, we see how their attitudes impact their feelings for their new homeland. We also find out how the later generations start to integrate more into the American culture but don’t entirely fit in and how this also causes issues with their own parents.

This is not only a book about immigration, about cultural differences but about life too, regardless of cultural roots: we witness marriages, affairs, different ways of life, dealing with infertility, abortion, illnesses like dementia, family feuds and falling outs just to mention a few. The final chapter is beautiful and full of emotion.

The viewpoints change from chapter to chapter and the chapters are therefore relatively long as they each tell a person’s story. Over the course of the book, we see the same names crop up and start to make the connections between these individuals and how they relate to each other. I actually ended up drawing up a family tree of sorts a few chapters in, as I found it tricky remembering who was who and being able to glance at this whilst starting a new chapter helped me place that person straight away.

The writing is beautiful and rich. There are parts that make you laugh and parts which break your heart. A wonderful insight into both emigration and life after in a new land and Palestine history and culture.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @swiftpress for this ARC (advanced reader copy). Publication date in the UK for for Behind you is the sea is 6 June 2024.