The Blue Between Sky and Water

Susan Abulhawa

2015 • 304 pages

Ratings6

Average rating3.5

"There was a time when they lived in the village of Beit Daras, and the sun was hot and the earth was rich. There were ruins dating back to the Crusades; now their homes, too, are ruins, and they are refugees in the small strip of Gaza. And yet, when young Khaled dies, and moves on to the afterlife, it is back in Beit Daras that he finds himself. And from here he may slip through history, watching the continuing the story of his matriarchal family. He sees his grandmother, Nazmiyeh, once the prettiest, baddest girl in the town, the eternal ringleader. The other girls felt she hung the sky. He sees his mother, Alwan, who loves quietly and strongly, and who sustains the family through her embroidery work, stitching the stars and moon in place. He sees the great-aunts and cousins, and his sunny little sister, Rhet Shel. Finally, there is the branch of the family that moves to Kuwait, and then to America, where Nur, his mother's cousin, begins to lose herself. She will return to Mediterranean shores to find her past, and rediscover the ties of kinship that transcend distance and even death. Born of the violent, troubling history which continues to rage forth and claim its dead, The Blue Between Sky and Water is very much a novel of survival, and of the vivid, powerful women whose world they manage, with each day, to enlarge and to enliven"--Publisher.

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Ghost

This book broke my heart so many times I lost track but it's also strikingly beautiful. Normally I'm not really one for family sagas because I struggle with names, but Abulhawa managed to make it easy somehow.

Every character was beautiful and yet very human and imperfect.

If you're in the market for an utterly devastating but also sweet and hopeful story which doubles as a love letter to family and the Palestinian people this one would be a great pick.

October 27, 2023

FEBRIANI KARTIKA MADUSARI

Di Beit Daras, sebuah desa kecil di Palestina, para wanita keluarga Baraka sejak dahulu sudah mengundang decak kagum. Nazmiyeh sangat pemberani dan protektif terhadap adiknya, Mariam, sedangkan ibu mereka, Umi Mahmoud dikenal karena jin yang sering merasukinya dan memberinya kemampuan meramal.
Ketika serbuan Israel memaksa keluarga kecil itu meninggalkan rumah leluhur mereka, hanya Nazmiyeh dan kakak lelakinya yang berhasil sampai ke Gaza. Nazmiyeh bertahan di Gaza, sementara kakak lelakinya pergi ke Amerika. Puluhan tahun kemudian, rumah Nazmiyeh kedatangan seorang gadis muda. Nur, cucu sang kakak, yang melacak jejak keluarga sang kakek demi menemukan akarnya.
Merupakan gabungan realisme magis, drama keluarga dan politik dalam saga tentang wanita-wanita Palestina yang berusaha bertahan hidup di Gaza sebelum dan setelah pendudukan Israel. Penulis mengisahkan saga keluarga yang tercerai berai oleh pendudukan Israel. Sebagai seorang pengungsi Palestina juga, Abulhawa berhasil menggambarkan trauma dan kepiluan rakyat Palestina dalam menghadapi pendudukan. Dan juga memotret keuletan mereka bertahan dalam kondisi serba tertekan. The Blue Between Sky and Water, kisah tentang keluarga, perpisahan dan sakit hati, ketabahan dan keuletan membangun hidup baru di tempat yang serba terbatas.

December 4, 2023