Following the diverse residents of a Palestinian-American community in Baltimore, SEA explores the inner psyches of those young and old, rich and poor, and the intertwined lives of the Palestinian diaspora across generation, class, and religion.

Books with shifting POVs sometimes risk writing superficial characters. That's why I was pleasantly surprised by Darraj's craft of writing profoundly flawed characters with rich inner workings, all achieved in short chapters. SEA centers around Palestinian & Palestinian-American women, who are often the victims of misogyny, lack the social & familial support to succeed, and suffer greatly from their male relatives' neglect/abuse.

What I love most about SEA is its centering on a diverse cast of Palestinians & Palestinian Americans without falling into overwritten tropes of immigrant struggles and its exploration of the "American Dream." Each chapter explores a different angle of the American experience, from poverty, teenage pregnancy, eating disorders, marital issues, to microaggressions in high school. SEA reaches the crescendo with its last story following a son's return from America to Palestine.

Don't miss this moving debut for fans of CALLING FOR A BLANKET DANCE (Oscar Hokeah) or EVIL EYE (Etaf Rum) 💙

Some chapters I particularly loved are,

• Behind you is the Sea: a house cleaner starts working for a wealthy Palestinian American family, only to realize "your own kind is often the worst." I love the emphasis that a "community" is often defined by socioeconomic status rather than one's ethnicity/country of origin.

• Gyroscopes: a high school kid tries to vocalize her unease with the school play Aladdin because of its harmful stereotypes of Arabs. I particularly appreciated the juxtaposition of the FMC's cousin's nonchalance and the mom's wise words.

• Worry Beads: an attorney realizes her father has dementia while she struggles to reconcile the violence she faced from past and present. Stories about ailing parents always give me the feels, and this one is no different.

• Escorting the Body: a son wants to honor his father's dying wish of being buried in Palestine. Reminiscent of AGAINST THE LOVELESS WORLD (Susan Abulhawa), this story touches upon the discrimination Palestinians faced and the beauty of a community.

I've seen some ownvoice reviews mentioning all the stereotypes that paint Arabic men in a terrible light and seem to cater to a Western audience. My lack of awareness while reading SEA speaks more to my ignorance of ownvoice literature by & about Arabs. I still strongly recommend that everyone pick up SEA, but please also read others' reviews afterward.

This book is impeccable. I don't usually like short stories or novels-in-stories, but this book is absolutely the exception for me. Every chapter is from a different character's perspective, and while each story could stand alone and be a great success the sum of all of them together is beyond exceptional. Darraj tackles unplanned pregnancy, divorce, domestic violence, and colonization with a calculated deftness--she just hits every note perfectly. And, at the same time, each story holds love, family, joy, and hope, and those notes are just as perfect. I don't have anything to say that isn't just gushing praise. As a bookseller, I'm very pleased to see more Palestinian voices being published and marketed in a mainstream market, and I can't wait to get this book into the hands of as many of my customers as possible.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperVia for a Digital ARC of this book.

I absolutely loved this book. It is so beautiful and intense and sad all hopeful all at the same time.

What I got from reading this story is each chapter is a different story from the same family (but a whole larger generation of a family) and it tells you about a what is currently going on in their lives. There is often struggle, pain between family members but always love and support a way to find a way through whatever they are dealing with.

So if you enjoy stories that are from different voices than your own (possibly) as the author is Palestinian American author, then I recommend picking this up in January 2024.

3.75/5

Susan Muaddi Darraj's debut novel is a beautiful exploration of life in the diaspora for Palestinian immigrants in America. The book exists in the universe of three families in Baltimore, Maryland, each chapter telling the story of a family member. This multi-generational tale tackles difficult topics, from eating disorders, to the intersection of class and race, to the cycle of poverty, to sexual assault, to anti-Arab sentiment and Islamophobia, to inter- and intra-community violence. Few characters endear themselves to the reader, but their stories are no less engrossing because of it.

The blurb states that the book faces stereotypes about Palestinians head-on, and in some cases that's true. In a few stories though, I wasn't sure if the narrative was actually reinforcing stereotypes rather than dispelling them. Additionally, there is a lot of hero worship/glorification of policing and the US military which I found interesting. Because of the policing/military violence under the occupation in Palestine, I would have expected the opposite, but maybe Darraj is noting that the first generation children of these immigrants are so removed from Palestine that they do not know that violence and therefore don't abhor the institution of it. Unclear!

Overall though, it was a compelling story and a debut that definitely has me keeping an eye out for what the author puts out next.

Set among a community of Palestinian immigrant residents of Baltimore, this novel of interrelated short stories, brings to life the push and pull of living in America as an immigrant, particularly one from Palestine. Each chapter is a treasure building and connecting the characters to each other, to their own story, to Palestine, and to their neighborhood.

An engrossing exploration of the lives of Palestinians living in Baltimore. The interconnected stories are propelled by complex intergenerational family dynamics, cultural divides, and the challenges and victories of the everyday lives of immigrants. The glimpses into traditional Palestinian culture and how they influence how each character navigates life are compelling and drew me completely into their stories.

Thank you to HarperVia and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

"Behind You is the Sea" by Susan Muaddi Darraj is a poignant exploration of the intricate lives of a small group of Palestinian Americans, interwoven to create a tapestry of shared experiences, familial bonds, and the ever-present longing for a homeland left behind. Darraj's storytelling delves deep into the complexities of immigrant families, offering a portrayal of their struggles and triumphs.

While I cannot personally speak to the lives of immigrants who come to America, I can still enjoy those stories because it provides a window into a different lived experience. Are these stories a narrow view of those experiences, probably, but continuing to read more stories like this from all kinds of perspectives will help form a more nuanced view of cultures and communities we don't know much about.

Either way, we should all be agreeing that Palestinian stories are just a valid and just as important as everyone else's.

In regards to the book itself, there were definitely stories and characters that I enjoyed more than others. There are heavy themes in this book, and there are harmful stereotypes depicted in this novel, but Darraj's prose are still able to capture the subtleties of family dynamics, bringing to life the joys, sorrows, and unspoken tensions that often define immigrant households. The characters are varried and their struggles universal.

Behind You Is the Sea was a beautiful tale of a family (both nuclear, extended, and adopted) of Palestinian Americans, their struggles, and how their actions intertwine and affect each other.

After reading some other reviews on Netgalley (I cannot help my nosey self), it has come to my attention that some people aren't happy about certain aspects of this book. For me, as a (ex) christian, white american, I have to admit that much of these grievances went over my head. Although I loathe to admit it, I have only been recently expanding my reading to include Palestinian voices and have been ignorant to many cultural customs belonging to them. I did know that there were Palestinian Christians, though.

What I would hope the author was trying to do is to bring light to the process of immigrant integration, and how it gets easier (or when culture is unfortunately lost) with each generation. I wouldn't think that the author was specifically pinning all of the negative things that happen in the stories on Palestinians or Arabs as a whole but as showcasing an inevitable type of corruption that happens when integrating into a capitalistic and individualistic western society. This book could be about literally any immigrant population that has integrated into the United States.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book. I am not sure what that says about me and my understanding of Arab society. Maybe the stories are too western, who am I to say. The most important thing I think this book will do is to show that Palestinians are (FUCKING) human beings and whatever is happening to them (and has been for decades) is wrong. I hope that those who are currently on the wrong side of history will read this book and, for once and for all, drop their stereotypes surrounding Arabic people.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperVia for the eARC!

Really beautiful written book that is so heartfelt and touching. I couldn't put it down and more people should read this book.

I was lucky enough to win an eARC of BEHIND YOU IS THE SEA by Susan Muaddi Darraj through a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thanks for the early look, and have a safe and happy holiday season!

Behind You Is the Sea, Susan Muaddi Darraj's third work of fiction, is a shimmering composite portrait of a Palestinian American community in Baltimore. Across nine stellar linked stories, she explores the complex relationships between characters divided by--or connected despite--class, language, and traditional values. (Full review at Shelf Awareness)

A collection of short stories (some shorter than others) about Palestinian Americans on the East Coast, mainly Baltimore.

All seem to be about Christian Arabs, include some form of racism (or disagreement amongst own community) and cover heavy topics like cheating, abuse (emotional & physical), being expelled from the community, interfaith/culture marriage, etc.

I was hoping for at least one story from a Muslim perspective, but didn't get it.

Perhaps now more than ever, it is imperative we hear the voices of Palestinian writers who explore the full spectrum of their lives and experiences. In her dazzling fiction debut, Susan Muaddi Darraj introduces three Palestinian-American families in Baltimore whose lives illustrate the intersections of gender, religion, age and class. The exploration of generational divides is especially robust, with themes of activism, reproductive justice, labor and tradition, to name a few.

Intriguing stories about several Palestinian families living in or near Baltimore. Rich and poor, each family has their issues. A timely memoir as to what is happening now in Gaza. The characters became more real for me even though most of the setting was in the U.S. Behind You is the Sea is an interesting take on another culture.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!

Behind You is the Sea is a collection of short stories about the Palestinian community living in Baltimore. It follows a bunch of main characters that are all somehow connected.

Okay, so I didn’t hate it. I’m going to say that first. But I did have a lot of issues with the stories, so let’s break it down.

These are stories about Christian Palestinians in America, so no they weren’t following all the mental rules I expect for a Palestinian story. I wrote a very angry review which I’ve decided not to go with because there were some good parts to these stories. But they weren’t *good* stories.

My first big problem was that the running theme throughout these stories is all these Palestinian girls “breaking out” of their “strict culture” to live a Western life that a Western book would not have depicted as a success. I also found it very strange that all the men in this book are fetishizing, sexualizing, and infantilizing white women. I genuinely don’t know what the author hoped to accomplish with that.

Honestly, these stories had a great lack of respect for Palestinians. Marcus saying he wanted to bring the roof crashing down on him and his family when he was angry…as if the author forgot for a moment that this is a common occurrence back home.

It kind of read like someone who wanted to separate themselves from Arabs under the name of Arabs. Not to mention *all the stereotypes*. It’s as if the author listed every single stereotype associated with Arabs and decided to stick them all in one book. I was incredibly disappointed to see this attempt at proving the west right. From racism, to snobbery, to honor killing, everything bad that’s ever been said about Arabs was just proven true here.

But I said I didn’t hate it, so I’m going to add this: it felt familiar. Set aside all the stereotypes and unfortunate plots, at their heart these were Palestinian characters and it was impossible not to see myself in them. Oddly, Marcus, the U.S. marine who hated his dad and made so many stereotypes come true…was the one that had the biggest heart, cared about his family the most, and had some of the most relatable lines in the book. I can’t fault the author for writing something that doesn’t fully align with my beliefs and expectations, but I’m glad that I got to find a few gems in these stories.

So I do recommend reading them, but please do so with caution. They aren’t an accurate representation of Arabs and they don’t try to be. But they’re not false either.

I am so excited to see the positive reaction this book gets. Every chapter read like a short story. I loved everything about this book. It will make a lot of 2024 most anticipated books lists.

4.5/5 ☆

Behind You is The Sea is a collection of stories told from the perspectives of eight Palestinian-American characters, who are connected to at least one other characters in some form or another—as sisters, cousins, friends, colleagues, etc. This was a compelling read that dealt with a lot of issues from within and outside the Palestinian community.

Every character in the story came with their own complexity, their own problems, their own ways to holding onto their culture: Whether it’s Reema Baladi making an important decision while navigating her a fast approaching tragedy; Marcus Salameh, who is forced to choose between his father and his sister, and then duty and his personal feelings; Walid Ammar, Marcus’s uncle-in-law, who struggles to grieve his mother and celebrate his son’s wedding at the same time; Rania Mahfouz, who fights against her son’s school system while uncovering a horrifying secret; Maysoon Baladi, Reema Baladi’s sister, who ends up discovering a lot about the path she wants to take in life after being employed by the Ammar family; Hiba Ammar, who moves in with her grandparents after being kicked out of her house; Layla Marwan, Hiba Ammar’s cousin, whose concerns about the Arab rep in Aladdin is silenced; and Samira Awadah, Rania Mahfouz’s lawyer, opening herself up to a new possibility after years of pain and healing, while also dealing with her complicated family.

With every story in this book, there’s no wait, no introduction. And that’s one of the things I liked most about the book; how it sweeps you along, making it hard to put it down. The author built each story and every character diligently, bringing out stereotypes(whether internal or external) and complicated family dynamics to the lime light. Also this is the second time I’m reading a non Muslim Palestinian book so I learnt a lot, and I’m glad I did.

I would recommend this to anyone who would enjoy a collection of stories written by a Palestinian author featuring Palestinian-Americans.

"Behind You Is the Sea" masterfully portrays the intricacies of Palestinian American lives in Baltimore, navigating generational divides, class disparities, and cultural tensions. Through the interconnected tales of three families, the novel confronts stereotypes with authenticity and poignancy. . A compelling read that challenges perceptions and lingers in the mind.

Thank you HarperVia and NetGalley for this ARC.

As someone who comes from immigrant parents I think the author did a beautiful job at capturing just how different everyone’s life can turn out after coming to America. I loved reading ab the lives of multiple people an would read this again.