The Loved Ones - (Women Writing the Middle East) by Alia Mamdouh (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

"Ferocious, visceral descriptions . . . give a powerful sense not only of Suhaila's world but also of the way we make and understand memories."--Booklist

"Often intense and lyrical."--Kirkus Reviews

This winner of the Naguib Mahfouz Prize for Literature mingles memories of the past with the shifting voices of the present when the estranged son of an Iraqi exile flies from his home in Toronto to visit her in Paris. As his ailing mother, the once-vibrant Suhaila, lies in a hospital bed, he acquaints himself with her constellation of close friends. Immediately, he becomes immersed in the complex relationships he has fought so hard to avoid: with his mother and his war-torn homeland. Alia Mamdouh weaves a magical tale of the human condition in this stunning and beautifully written novel of faith, family, and hope.

Review Quotes

"What is dynamic here is Suhaila's loving community of women friends from everywhere . . . who talk about big ideas. . . . [T]he family story is universal. . . --Booklist

"...[I]ntense and lyrical." --Kirkus Reviews

"Long after the last lines . . . [there is] a radiant picture of the heroine: her generous character . . . and above all, her love of Iraq. Her son Nader acknowledges that 'she always tows Baghdad into whatever places we have lived, to be able to endure things, to stay alive and not die." --Arab News, Saudi Arabia

[An] intimately moving, polyphonic narrative of displacement and nomadism . . . a hymn to friendship and to boundless giving that ultimately restores life. Written in exile, it invents a language of exile with which to resist dispossession. --Committee of Judges, Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Arabic Literature

This novel has a complexity that takes time to progress . . . truly unique. --Multicultural Review

"[In this novel the] strata of events and sensations create a vivid view of Iraqi society at home and abroad with an emphasis on the Iraqi diaspora in the last decade of the millennium. . . . Booth's translation is a labor of love and talent, a skill coupled with devotion. --Ferial J. Ghazoul, from the Afterword

Leaves an indelible impression. [The Loved Ones] is rich with family and neighbors and [Mamdouh] notes all of their subtle interactions and secrets. --Library Journal

"What is dynamic here is Suhaila's loving community of women friends from everywhere . . . who talk about big ideas. . . . [T]he family story is universal. . . --Booklist

"...[I]ntense and lyrical." --Kirkus Reviews

"Long after the last lines . . . [there is] a radiant picture of the heroine: her generous character . . . and above all, her love of Iraq. Her son Nader acknowledges that 'she always tows Baghdad into whatever places we have lived, to be able to endure things, to stay alive and not die." --Arab News, Saudi Arabia

[An] intimately moving, polyphonic narrative of displacement and nomadism . . . a hymn to friendship and to boundless giving that ultimately restores life. Written in exile, it invents a language of exile with which to resist dispossession. --Committee of Judges, Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Arabic Literature

This novel has a complexity that takes time to progress . . . truly unique. --Multicultural Review

"[In this novel the] strata of events and sensations create a vivid view of Iraqi society at home and abroad with an emphasis on the Iraqi diaspora in the last decade of the millennium. . . . Booth's translation is a labor of love and talent, a skill coupled with devotion. --Ferial J. Ghazoul, from the Afterword

About the Author

Marilyn Booth has translated fiction and autobiography from Egypt and Lebanon. She received her B.A. from Harvard-Radcliffe and her D.Phil. from Oxford University, and has taught at Brown University and the American University in Cairo.

Hélène Cixous is one of the most prominent cultural and political thinkers in the world. Her work has transformed both feminism and literary criticism. In Paris, she sits as chair at the Centre de Recherches en Etudes Feminines, which she founded.