Updated 14 October 2023
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Six Palestinian fiction books to read 

Six Palestinian fiction books to read 

Here are six powerful fiction books by Palestinian authors.  

  • ‘My First and Only Love’ 

    Sahar Khalifeh’s book is a deeply poetic account of love and resistance through a young girl’s eyes.  

  • ‘Minor Detail’ 

    Adania Shibli’s book is a searing novel meditating on war, violence and memory. It was longlisted for the 2021 International Booker Prize. 

  • ‘Where the Bird Disappeared’  

    This lyrical novel, by Ghassan Zaqtan, is set in the surroundings of the Palestinian village of Zakariyya. It weaves a narrative rich in sensory detail yet troubled by the porousness of memory. 

  • ‘Trees for the Absentees’ 

    Ahlam Bsharat’s novel moves delicately between a young woman growing up and the occupation that looms overhead. 

  • ‘Against the Loveless World’  

    Susan Abulhawa’s book follows Nahr, a young Palestinian woman who fights for a better life for her family as she travels as a refugee throughout the Middle East. It was among the finalists for the 2020 Athenaeum of Philadelphia Literary Award.  

  • ‘Mother of Strangers’

    Based on the true story of two Jaffa teenagers in the late 1940’s, “Mother of Strangers” by Suad Amiry follows the daily lives of Subhi, a 15-year-old mechanic, and Shams, the 13-year-old student he hopes to marry one day.