Book Review: Mornings in Jenin
BY Shayma Al Harthi
Photograph courtesy of Shayma AlHarthi.
“In the sorrow of a history buried alive, the year 1948 in Palestine fell from the calendar into exile, ceasing to reckon the marching count of days, months and years, instead becoming an infinite mist of one moment in history. The twelve months of that year rearranged themselves and swirled aimlessly in the heart of Palestine.”
It wasn’t emptiness but rather an intense surge of pain and fascination that pervaded me when I put Mornings in Jenin down. Unlike any other novel I’ve read, my chest swelled with purpose. With anger. With a yearning for long-lost justice. Written by Susan Abulhawa, it is a gripping tale that paints a realistic picture of love, loss and grief. The progression of the plot, nature of the characters, and profound influence of the setting work collaboratively to birth a revolutionary novel.
It was the year 1948 when the Abulhejas’ world had been shaken irrevocably. Forcibly removed from their beloved land of olive groves, the Abulhejas march towards a refugee camp in Jenin, where they are sentenced to eternal exile. The family falls victim to war, and is torn apart mercilessly. The deeply moving narrative redefines grief as it follows the family for four generations, starting with the great grandparents, Yehya and Basima. The story then reshifts its focus onto their children, Hassan and Darwish, to finally lead us to our protagonist: Amal Hassan Abulheja.
For the most part, the story unfolds from Amal’s perspective. We join in on her childish endeavours in Palestine which eventually progress into lonely, cold nights abroad. We also travel through her rich ancestral history, memorable childhood, and present that is devoid of color. Cutting back and forth in time between the past and present, Amal remains trapped.
Mornings in Jenin is timeless. Its spirit roams the earth but hovers over the refugee camp in Jenin. It travels with its characters to the streets of Lebanon, and desolate neighbourhoods of Pennsylvania, yet its soul thrives in Palestine. Susan AbulHawa’s words have changed lives, in every way possible. Mornings in Jenin is a product of the coexistence of tragedy and hope. It weaves together fragments of the characters’ lives to narrate a story of a land we once knew.
Shayma Al Harthi (@s.hayma) is a curious learner who loves to immerse herself in a realm of new opportunities and adventures. Through writing, she seeks to find answers to the questions that nestle in her brain.