BOOK REVIEW
The Voice of Gaza
Nayrouz Qarmout’s “The Sea Cloak and Other Stories”
I packed this book with me in late September as I headed for Palestine. Little did I know that, while I was there, Gaza would get so battered.
Nayrouz Qarmout
The Sea Cloak and Other Stories
Comma Press, 2019
A little book of Gaza’s daily reality, before that beachfront city became a target for genocidal slaughter.
These are not comfortable stories to read before bedtime. Instead, they perturb you, and poke you with needles, and make you ask questions.
A small trait or incident ends up revealing hidden worlds. A whole history that lies forgotten, but is still very much alive. A drop of milk, a glance in the mirror, a white lily, or an anklet under the sea, become keys to exploding worlds and childhood trauma. The absurdity of existence is skillfully unmasked.
From the debilitating squalor of the refugee camps spring defiance, empowerment and a rejection of victimhood. The stories feature strong female figures who challenge and resist the religious patriarchy. The alternate reality imposed by Israel is barely visible in some stories, yet all present — like the constant buzz of drones, a father disabled from a previous bombing, or a lover stuck in the West Bank.
From the title story onwards, Qarmout unveils Gaza’s intimate and tortured relationship with the sea. Sensual vignettes of a crowded Gaza beach celebrate the triumph of life even under the most oppressive conditions. My favorites are “A Samarland Moon”, “White Lilies,” “The Mirror,” and “Pen and Notebook,” though the other seven stories are almost as powerful. Read these if you want to understand Gaza’s unbreakable spirit.
– Ramsey Hanhan, Author, Fugitive Dreams
