Susan Muaddi Darraj's powerful debut novel-in-stories, Behind You Is the Sea, depicts multiple immigrant Palestinian families in Baltimore, whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways. Darraj uses a kaleidoscopic point of view, dropping the reader into a character's life at a pivotal moment, then switching to another character later in time, providing a multifaceted look at their community ... Other stories illuminate the difficulties of living in diaspora, from making a living, adjusting to a different culture, experiencing racism and classism and navigating generational conflicts over changing values ... moments of insight and empathy limn Darraj's novel, shining through the sadness and tension of her characters' lives.
Important ... Its characters come to life, transcending politics, breaking through preconceptions and stereotypes, speaking clearly and lucidly about their uniquely human experiences ... Emotionally authentic.
The women in Behind You Is the Sea are strong, determined, smart, and honest enough to own up to their own flaws ... Behind You Is the Sea is sure to capture the readers' attention on the different multiplicities of Palestinian-American life and grapple with occupied identity in a land that professes freedom.
Behind You Is the Sea draws a composite portrait of Palestinian American families with sensitivity and humor, its linked stories breaking down stereotypes and embracing complexity.
... a shimmering composite portrait ... Darraj depicts the variety of immigrant and second-generation experience (especially women's), probing cultural and generational differences in a sensitive, life-affirming way.
That wedding scene is masterfully choreographed in a book in which each chapter reads like a small masterpiece ... A moving portrait of Palestinian families caught between the pressures of the Old World and the New.
Throughout, Muaddi Darraj brilliantly depicts complex characters reckoning with the costs of holding tightly to their principles. This is a beautiful portrait of a family reaching for their dreams while holding onto their roots.
