by Etaf Rum
First published 2019
In Brooklyn, 18-year-old Deya is being pressured into an arranged marriage, just as her mother Isra was decades earlier. But a mysterious note makes Deya question everything she knows about her parents' tragic past. As the narrative shifts between Deya's present and Isra's suppressed history, a complex web of cultural expectations and dangerous secrets is slowly unraveled.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: arranged-marriage, dual-timeline, secrets
Setting: America, Palestine
Period: 1990, 2008
371 pages · Kindle Edition · HQ
Content warnings: sexism