
I won a signed copy of ONCE IN A PROMISED LAND by Laila Halaby a few weeks ago, but this book was actually on my TBR list before that! I was very intrigued by the summary of the book, and I had seen the book featured on a couple of my favorite websites. The Washington Post named this book as one of the 100 best fiction books of 2007, and it was also a Notable Book by Book Sense and a Barnes and Noble Great New Writers Selection. I very much enjoyed the book even though it was a difficult and uncomfortable read for me. Having said that, I hope I don't scare anyone away with that comment because the book was definitely a worthwhile read.
At the beginning of the novel, I had a difficult time relating to either of the main characters. I felt as if the husband Jassim was kind of reserved and a little cold. I also felt that his wife Sarwa was shallow and deceitful. Not to say that my initial opinions entirely changed; however, as I continued to read the novel, I began to feel a great deal of compassion for both of them. Even though I didn't always agree with their actions (especially Sarwa's), they both were so misplaced and lost in their lives that I felt sorry for them. A lot of their problems were brought about by lies, deceit, and a general lack of communication, but so much of their world was out of their immediate control.
I found Ms. Halaby's writing style to be very good - at times, her writing seemed almost poetic. I love how she incorporated the theme of water and cleansing/rebirth throughout the novel. I have to give her a tremendous amount of credit for causing me to feel something towards her characters (usually, I'm not the most compassionate reader). I also feel that she has done a tremendous service to the reader by bringing cultural issues as well as prejudices to the surface. Maybe one of the reasons that I felt so uncomfortable reading this book is because I saw the truth in her portrayal of so many Americans following the trajedies of 9/11.
I think this book would make an excellent bookclub choice. I think a discussion of this book would cause a lot of people to examine themselves and their opinions on America and the Mid-east. There are so many human issues to delve into such as adultery, deceit, cultural differences, fear/paranoia, prejudice, etc. There is also a reading guide in the back of the paperback or here.
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