Back in February after the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) announced its 2023 longlist, I had a grand plan of reading a chapter from every title available in the abjjad app. I read a first chapter from بيتنا الكبير by ربيعة ريحان, which I truly enjoyed. I then set to read a chapter from May Telmissany’s (مي التلمساني) book الكل يقول أحبك.
I was immediately captivated and abandoned my original plan to instead read this novel. The first part transports you to a surreal encounter on a train between two men, separated by twenty years, but who seem to have been living parallel lives. The first chapter follows the thoughts of Karim, the elder of the two men, as he looks back on his life and loves. The next section is from the perspective of the younger man and each following chapter is from the point of view of a new character. They are all linked. Each featured character is of the Arab Diaspora in Canada/the US, sometimes connected to others by chance encounter while traveling, but mostly through their shared past. It’s a fascinating exploration of relationships, identity, and love.
I loved this book. 5/5