Palestinian-Italian-American Zaina’s memoir about embracing her queer identity, going from US school years to summers in Palestine and Jordan with chaotic checkpoints and feelings of “otherness”, is a touching story of how to learn how to love and forgive yourself, and others.
Her stay in a treatment centre for love addiction is a truly remarkable piece of descriptive writing, and she perfectly pinpoints the painful social realities of being co-treated for addiction.
Her relationship with her mother is beautifully told. How rage and fear can come in-between mothers and daughters is intelligently explored and there’s a real honesty and rawness to how this plays out in her life and how she explores it in group therapy.
We get an insight into the world of bad relationships and emotional affairs. It is an intelligent exploration of how hard it can be just to be happy sometimes, especially when you’re young and insecure.
I love the description of assimilation and immigration, the sense of disjointedness and the fear and insecurity that comes with having multiple identities.
Written in 2020, the book goes into some Palestinian history and identity, but more through a personal lens. It’s interesting to see how the narrator’s identity as a Palestinian becomes a signifier for others in the US and how her layered family history sits within the geopolitical context.
A really easy memoir to read and absorb, and I’d love to see more from this writer as this was her debut work and it seems like more might be on the way!
One word: shimmering.
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