Customer Reviews

Touch

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When you live in a persistent warzone, every day is a new challenge. "Touch" is a novella following a young girl in modern Palestine, as she faces life's challenges as he world continues to rage on around her. From the simple processes of life to the constant tragedies, "Touch" proves to be a fascinating and insightful novella, not to be missed.

Like a pouch of snapshots dropped and scattered, the 33 vignettes in this very short novella about a young Palestinian girl rely on the reader to put them in order and make meaning. Their spareness is riveting, and Shibli's language (with Paula Haydar's translation from the Arabic) is extraordinary, opening the mind and seeding the subconscious to bring forth details and a story beyond what is written on the page (for me, reminiscent of Faulkner's As I Lay Dying). I loved it and about half-understood it; I so look forward to reading it again.

Adania Shibli is a Palestinian author who was recently recognized at the Hay Beirut39 Literature Festival, which featured 39 Arab authors under 39 years of age. An accomplished novelist and writer of short stories and essays, she has recently completed a PhD at the University of East London.

"Touch" is a novella about a young Palestinian girl, which consists of five themed sections of prose poetry: colors, silence, movement, language, and the wall. Although tragedy, sadness and isolation are present throughout the narrative, there are only a couple of fleeting references to the Palestinian struggle, which seemingly have little if any impact on the life of the girl. The writing is beautiful and evocative, and this slim book is best read slowly, attentively and repeatedly for fuller enjoyment and appreciation.