Novel tells about one woman's life in the Middle East

posted on: Jun 16, 2015

A big thank you to the sponsors of book clubs and book discussion groups that share information about books they are reading.
For example, Jenna Anderson, marketing specialist and volunteer coordinator at the Kendallville Public Library, sent news about the library’s Novel Conversations Book Discussion Group.
Currently, they are reading “An Unnecessary Woman” by Rabih Alameddine, “a heartrending novel that celebrates the singular life of an obsessive introvert, revealing Beirut’s beauties and horrors along the way,” she wrote.
The website rabihalameddine.com says this about the book: “Aaliya Saleh lives alone in her Beirut apartment, surrounded by stockpiles of books. Godless, fatherless, childless and divorced, Aaliya is her family’s ‘unnecessary appendage.’ Every year, she translates a new favorite book into Arabic, then stows it away. The 37 books that Aaliya has translated over her lifetime have never been read — by anyone. After overhearing her neighbors, ‘the three witches,’ discussing her too-white hair, Aaliya accidentally dyes her hair too blue.
“In this breathtaking portrait of a reclusive woman’s late-life crisis, readers follow Aaliya’s digressive mind as it ricochets across visions of past and present Beirut. Colorful musings on literature, philosophy and art are invaded by memories of the Lebanese Civil War and Aaliya’s own volatile past. As she tries to overcome her aging body and spontaneous emotional upwellings, Aaliya is faced with an unthinkable disaster that threatens to shatter the little life she has left.
“A love letter to literature and its power to define who we are, Rabih Alameddine has given us a nuanced rendering of one woman’s life in the Middle East.”
The Novel Conversations group will meet at Joanna’s Dealicious Treats on Thursday, June 25, at 6:30 p.m. This book is available to be checked out at the Kendallville Public Library Adult Reference Desk.
“Whether you’ve read the book in the past or picked it up this month, everyone is welcome to join,” said Anderson.

Source: www.kpcnews.com