Against the Loveless World
Winner of the Palestine Book Award
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:5th Aug '21
Should be back in stock very soon
In a confined space, Nahr reflects on her life, grappling with her identity amidst labels of terrorism and heroism. Through memories of love and resistance, she seeks purpose and survival.
Against the Loveless World is a powerful and evocative novel that delves into the complexities of identity, survival, and resistance. The story centers around Nahr, who finds herself confined in a stark, nine-square-metre cell known as the Cube. This space, characterized by its cold, unchanging environment, serves as a metaphor for her isolation and the oppressive circumstances surrounding her. Despite the presence of journalists eager to uncover her story, Nahr remains resolute in her silence, defying the labels imposed upon her by the outside world.
Throughout her journey, Nahr grapples with the conflicting identities thrust upon her—terrorist, whore, revolutionary, and hero. As she reflects on her past, readers learn about her early experiences as a second-class citizen and the desperate search for love and belonging. Her life takes a transformative turn when she arrives in Palestine, where she unexpectedly discovers purpose and connection in the most unlikely of places—a battered beauty salon. It is here that she meets Bilal, a man who introduces her to the ideals of resistance and solidarity, shaping her understanding of her own strength and resilience.
As Nahr recounts her story to the absent Bilal, the narrative unfolds as a poignant exploration of love, power, and the human spirit's capacity to endure. Against the Loveless World is not just a tale of personal struggle; it is a fierce commentary on the broader themes of persecution and the fight for justice, making it a significant work from an internationally acclaimed author.
A thrilling, defiant novel ... Reads as a riot act against oppression, misogyny, and shame -- FATIMA BHUTTO
Abulhawa’s novel is a love story ... She elegantly crafts a world where the tension between desire and survival is laid bare * New Yorker *
A powerful and subversive story of trauma and survival for fans of My Sister, The Serial Killer and Her Body and Other Parties * The Millions *
Susan Abulhawa has reached greater heights with her new and courageous novel. Wide in its scope and breadth it is a lively, exciting book that is difficult to put down. The work of a seasoned, accomplished writer, this is a bold and dazzling work which is sure to arouse controversy -- RAJA SHEHADAH
Nahr is a wonderful creation, strong-willed, passionate, unapologetic and adventurous. Her refusal to accept the subordination expected of her propels the story at a thrilling pace. Her determination to find love in a loveless world and her unquenchable spirit in adversity shines a ray of hope into some very dark places -- MICHAEL PALIN
A fearless work of imagination and documentary gathering power and depth as it sweeps along -- AHDAF SOUEIF
A masterpiece ... Forces us to wrestle with the complexities of love, freedom, struggle, and shame in ways that both inspire and challenge our very conceptions of what it means to be human. A major literary contribution that further cements Abulhawa’s status as one of the most important writers of our generation -- MARC LAMONT HILL
The writer's pain - and the beauty of her prose – are very real * Daily Telegraph *
One of the most thought-provoking books I've read ... written with passion and honesty, and poetry * Daily Mail *
Abulhawa's writing shines ... Friendship, adolescence, love: ordinary events, offset against extraordinary circumstances, make the story live * Independent *
Hard to bear but impossible to ignore … Shows how history’s assault on each person is public, and how it nevertheless cannot extinguish the private experience of grief or the secret sense of eros. Abulhawa's vision is precise, courageous, and dazzling -- Teju Cole
In true Thousand and One Nights style, Abulhawa surprises us by continually unfolding new stories … Characters struggle to keep their secrets, but Abulhawa releases them. These are secrets we need to know, secrets that will educate us about ourselves * Guardian *
A transformative literary grace. Abulhawa’s prose is luminous * Independent on Sunday *
A fine observer of female kinship ... A powerful read * Financial Times *
A family saga with global reach, these stories jump off the page and into the soul and reach far beyond any headline or statistic, past the head, to the heart -- Laleh Khadivi
A giant step in the development of Palestinian fiction. The book is a great feat of imagination and storytelling * Raja Shehadeh *
Readers … are sure to be charmed by Abulhawa’s glittering language and to remember (and love) the characters long after the book has ended * Washington Independent Review of Books *
Powerful and moving * Stylist *
ISBN: 9781526618818
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 266g
384 pages