Against the Loveless World By Susan Abulhawa

susan abulhawa's most recent novel, Against the Loveless World, traces the path of a young Palestinian woman, Nahr, from Kuwait, to Jordan, to Palestine, to an Israeli isolation cell she calls “the Cube.” After being abandoned by her husband, Nahr meets an older woman, Um Buraq, who coerces her into working as escort for Kuwait’s rich and powerful men, until the U.S. invasion of Iraq forces Nahr’s already displaced family to flee Kuwait for Jordan. Nahr travels to Palestine to seek a divorce from her husband’s family and unexpectedly falls in love with Palestine—and with her ex- husband’s brother, Bilal. In Palestine, Nahr becomes more politically conscious and commits herself to clandestine resistance against encroaching Israeli settlements.

Narrated by the passionate, candid Nahr herself, this is an unapologetically political novel. In the face of exile, violence, and occupation, love—as a transformational force and radical act—nevertheless shines through. I spoke to Ms. Abulhawa about the complex women who make this novel so compelling, the many forms of violence shaping their lives, and how to situate the Palestinian struggle in its appropriate contexts.