This is the book I am planning to read after reading "The Hundred Years' War on Palestine" by Rashid Khalidi.
For the following synopsis of "A Day in the Life of Abed Salama" by Nathan Thrall, I have sourced information from Macmillan Publishers and ChatGPT:
Immersive and gripping, an intimate story of a deadly accident outside Jerusalem that unravels a tangle of lives, loves, enmities, and histories over the course of one revealing, heartbreaking day.
Five-year-old Milad Salama is excited for a school trip to a theme park on the outskirts of Jerusalem. On the way, his bus collides with a semitrailer. His father, Abed, gets word of the crash and rushes to the site.
The scene is chaos — the children have been taken to different hospitals in Jerusalem and the West Bank; some are missing, others cannot be identified.
Abed sets off on an odyssey to learn Milad’s fate. It is every parent’s worst nightmare, but for Abed it is compounded by the maze of physical, emotional, and bureaucratic obstacles he must navigate because he is Palestinian.
He is on the wrong side of the separation wall, holds the wrong ID to pass the military checkpoints, and has the wrong papers to enter the city of Jerusalem.
Abed’s quest to find Milad is interwoven with the stories of a cast of Jewish and Palestinian characters whose lives and histories unexpectedly converge.
The novel provides a poignant and intimate portrayal of the life of its titular character, Abed, a Palestinian man living in Gaza. Set against the backdrop of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the book delves into the complexities of everyday existence in a region marked by political turmoil and violence.
The story unfolds over the course of a single day, offering readers a glimpse into Abed's experiences, struggles, and relationships. Through Abed's perspective, the novel explores themes of family, identity, resilience, and the quest for normalcy amidst extraordinary circumstances.
As Abed navigates the challenges of life in Gaza, readers are drawn into his world and confronted with the harsh realities of living under occupation. Thrall's vivid prose captures the sights, sounds, and emotions of Abed's daily life, painting a vivid portrait of a man determined to maintain his dignity and humanity in the face of adversity.
Throughout the novel, Abed's interactions with family members, friends, and neighbors provide insight into the collective resilience of the Palestinian people and their unwavering commitment to survival and resistance.
Ultimately, the novel offers a powerful meditation on the human cost of conflict and the enduring strength of the human spirit. Through Abed's story, Thrall sheds light on the often-overlooked human dimension of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, challenging readers to confront their own assumptions and prejudices while fostering empathy and understanding. The novel offers an indelibly human portrait of the struggle over Israel/Palestine and a new understanding of the tragic history and reality of one of the most contested places on earth.
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