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.

Really enjoyed this book. I loved how it followed a different number of characters but they were all interconnected. There was a real wit to the narrative and every character was super interesting and unique. Some parts of it made my jaw drop as it explored such a range of human experiences. Really enjoyed and how it was structured.

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Behind You Is The Sea is a collection of connecting short stories based on the lives of a Palestinian American community/extended family living in Baltimore. Each story follows a different narrator though the lives of all of the characters intersect and cross paths the whole way through.

Darraj's narration both has a poetic quality to it and is straight to the point, immediately drawing you into all of their lives. Each perspective explores identity and the diaspora experience across different generations in a unique way. Touching on themes of love and grief, family relationships, the upholding of cultural traditions as well as microaggressions both within and outside of the community there was something profoundly moving in every single account.

Whilst the episodic nature of the book worked really well I wouldn't have minded if this had been a full length saga as there were so many of the stories and individuals that I wanted to know more from. No character in this book is perfect and you'll definitely warm to some more than others but Darraj's writing sure makes none of them forgettable!
Final Rating - 4/5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Told through a series of short stories from different character's perspectives, this is a look into a Palestinian Christian community in the US, from young teenagers grappling with two sides of their Palestinian-American identity to the first generation immigrants who left Palestine behind. This was such a compelling and quick read - I was so drawn in by every character, and before I realised it I'd finished the book in just a few hours. There are so many layers to the different stories, which all interlock with each other, from strained family relationships to the thrill of first love and the sting of heartbreak. These are human stories, with a ring of truth to them, and the echoes of a homeland many have never been to. The expectations of their first generation relatives thread themselves through each tale.

A relatively quick and easy read, very digestible and will stay with you afterwards.

A great story collection focusing on the lives of 1st and 2nd generation Palestinian-Americans. All of the stories are linked, some more loosely than others, but you realise quite quickly that it doesn’t really matter. You don’t have to know the back stories of the secondary characters in each story because you are wholly focused on the primary character in that moment and their struggles and joys.

I flew through this one and can’t wait to read more from this author.

Genuinely one of the best books I've ever read.

Compelling in a way I never thought a collection of short stories could be. The collection follows a Palestinian-American community who are one or two connections away from each other - each short story follows a different character within the community, with some of the characters from the other short stories flitting in and out. Their lives crossover due to their interweaving Palestinian heritage and displacement.

The connecting thread is the dissonance between a culture you come from, and one that you're now in, and how that affects how you navigate difficulties in life, which, in the collection include: domestic violence; dementia; miscarriage; infertility; parental death; honour killings, amongst many more. The idea of reputation being more important than feelings, one that is prevalent within ethnic minority cultures, is also explored.

We're invited directly into the homes of the cast of characters, living in Baltimore, and shows how varying class, generational divides and religion affect the very one-dimensional Palestinian stereotype that the West often has. What this collection does so well is explore the differences, the rich culture, the differing perspectives of one community.

Stunning. Comedic. Heartbreaking.