PositiveROOM (CAN)Tender, gentle, and melancholic, Jokha Alharthi’s Narinjah: The Bitter Orange Tree is a testament to the ways in which the lives of young women are dictated by generations before them ... Alharthi’s prose is expansive as Zohour moves through her dreaming world, each emotion tied to a sensation that reiterates the liminality of Zohours experience ... While likely meant to mimic the immersive, dreamy reality Zohour experiences, Alharthi’s work sometimes feels haphazard. Paragraphs of description of the cool sand in Oman, or the solace of the shade of the bitter orange tree are followed by short, unexpected sentences that turn the story in a whole new direction, almost completely shattering the sleepy dreamscape. This jolt, though sometimes jarring, also acts as a method to weave the story between Bint Aamir’s unfulfilled wishes to Zohour’s ongoing life, expansive, and full of possibility ... A touching read for immigrants living away from their homelands, or folks rekindling family ties, Narinjah is recommended for those looking to explore the ways in which ancestry impacts our lives, even today.
