Sharon And My Mother-in-law
(Suad Amiry)
This book will make you laugh out loud at the absurdity of life under occupation. Amiry has the skill to bring out the comedy of real life situations in a troubled region. Based on diaries and emails she kept, we follow as her dog Nura becomes the envy of those around her, with her Jerusalem ID and passport, and thus is able to travel freely. Amiry?s, at times farcical tale, takes you through curfews, checkpoints, collaborators and dealing with an overbearing mother-in-law, all with the absurdist humour which makes the story so compelling and enjoyable.
The drama in Amiry?s life could make for an excellent soap with her coping with the teenaged neighbour-turned-collaborator and the hysterics of his unfaithful mother. She takes everything in her stride and at turns to sarcasm and the ridiculous whenever she reaches breaking point. The episodes in her narrative range from the thoughtful and poignant, to the in-your-face silly, as we follow Amiry?s struggle to survive a curfew and keep her sanity intact. The books success however lies in its simplicity and its very human approach to an impossible situation.
She gives us a very personal insight into the day-to-day activities of Palestinian life, which she reveals to be just like any other part of the world with friends, neighbours and in-laws.
The easy to read, conversational style of her narrative is what makes it so compelling, and you find yourself instantly stepping into her world of checkpoints and curfews, revelling in the absurdity of getting into trouble for staring at a soldier, or the impossibility of getting a gas-mask during the first Gulf war.
Read it. It is an unexpected and witty insight into her world, which had it been told by anyone else, would not be quite so enjoyably funny.
Resumos Relacionados
- Little Women
- Awaken The Giant Within
- Eleven Minutes
- Eleven Minutes
- Circle Of Friends
|
|
