The Parisian by Isabella Hammad review accomplished debut
Isabella Hammad – a natural storyteller. Photograph: Sophia Evans/The ObserverIsabella Hammad – a natural storyteller. Photograph: Sophia Evans/The ObserverBook of the dayFictionReviewAn engaging hero’s journey through the end of the Ottoman empire to the rise of Palestinian nationalism
Isabella Hammad’s remarkably accomplished debut novel very quickly snares the reader’s attention. Ranging from Nablus in thedying days of the Ottoman empire via Istanbul and Cairo to Montpellier and Paris, and always connecting the personal with the political, the journey of our hero Midhat Kamal – who as the book opens in 1914 is sailing to pursue his studies in medicine in France – makes for compelling reading.
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