This collection of interconnected short stories depicting the lives of Palestinian individuals is a beautiful exploration of hope, humor, and heartache. Through skillful writing, the author brings characters to life in vivid detail, capturing the essence of their experiences in a few short pages. It's a compelling read that leaves a lasting impression of resilience and humanity. Absolutely recommend!

This book was well written, but there was something about it that made it hard for me to commit. I did love getting to know each of the families, and my heart hurt for each of them throughout the book. Perhaps I am also just unused to short story collections, but a lot of the story felt undeveloped and inconclusive, leaving me with a sense of incompleteness/dissatisfaction.

These inter-related short stories about the Palestinian immigrant experience in Baltimore are fantastic. Completely absorbing writing and characters, and the stories are set in one of my favorite cities. I was on a plane to Baltimore while I was reading 😊.
What I loved about this collection of short stories is manifold. The characters are linked and some reoccur over the course of the collection. They all know each other, or are related, for the most part. The first story is about a pregnant teenager named Amal (Child of Air) who has made the difficult choice to keep her child, but is unsure if she wants the father in her life. Her brother Marcus is in the next story. He’s a cop trying to balance an overburdened life caring for the family and the community. Mr. Ammar is an older man who disapproves of everything, starting with his son’s wedding, a story that ends on a far gentler note than it began. The story titled The Hashtag is devastating and introduces the family advocate Samira, who has her own story later. The violence in this story spreads a long way in the collection, linking to the last story. Although there is much pride in culture and where the families came from and in protecting their culture—there’s a lot of food and parties and the deaths of parents where rituals and last wishes must be granted—there is a terrible misogyny lurking here.
There is a lot to discover in this literary collection. I have a hard time picking a favorite. The writing is excellent, the storytelling supreme. I highly recommend this #ownvoices multicultural collection.

While I really appreciated the concept for this narrative - a loosely connected, multi-POV weaving of slice-of-life vignettes for Palestinians living in diaspora in Baltimore, Maryland - it ultimately felt like it never exceeded the sum of its parts. This feels more like a collection of short stories than a novel, and I'm actually confused after reading an interview with the author that suggests the Marcus POV was her starting point. Marcus's POV didn't feel nearly as compelling as several of the others, and it romanticized policing in a way that didn't make sense for the rest of the narrative and feels tonally confusing. The prose is compelling, and I love the focus on stand-alone scenes (there are several short stories in here that were truly beautiful). The author absolutely shows more than she tells here, and it made this feel fast-paced and immersive. Marcus's police POVs were jarring, though, and I'm not sure I fully understand the author's intention with this character and perspective.

Behind You Is the Sea is a collection of interconnecting stories that follows three Palestinian families living in Baltimore as they navigate life and confront the difficulties of living in diaspora.

Each chapter was told from a different POV and was both thought provoking and emotive. However, since each chapter was a different persons story, some were more memorable than others.

I did enjoy this interconnected story a lot, and enjoyed Maysoon and Samira's stories the most. At times, I did feel like the character development was lacking a bit, but I think that is due to the structure of the book.

CW: Rania's chapter discusses her child's neurodivergent diagnosis and the difficulties they were experiencing with his school, but the author uses an outdated diagnosis that can be harmful to the autistic community.

Excellent collection of linked stories about the Palestinian community in Baltimore! The final story -- about a son returning his father's body to Palestine for burial -- is particularly devastating in the midst of the current genocide. Darraj shows the hopes, compromises, losses, and achievements of her characters in a way that is both specific and universal.

at a time when palestinians are being dehumanized by so many, i am grateful for the release of this book, which beautifully shows the opposite to be true.

The story explores the daily lives of three families in the Palestinian American community residing in Baltimore, as they confront stereotypes, prejudices, and racism.

Behind You is the Sea draws you in immediately with writing that's raw, alluring, heartbreaking, and hopeful. Darraj pens interlocking stories that delve into various aspects of American life, such as teen pregnancy and eating disorders, romance and weddings, aging parents and funerals. However, Darraj reveals how deeply emotional and complicated these issues can be within the Arab American community. With her last chapter, Darraj brings the story full circle, demonstrating her thoughtfulness in structuring the book. What a fantastic debut!

A gut wrenching and entirely necessary read. I fell in love with these characters over their lifetimes.

Thank you HarperVia for allowing me to read and review Behind You is the Sea on NetGalley.

Published: 01/16/24

Stars: 1.5

A debut novel that leaves me wondering who wrote the synopsis? Does the author speak to readers? I can't imagine.

The filthy language starts immediately and doesn't let up. Just as I would settle into understanding the story, the profanity starts out of nowhere. While I don't see a purpose for cussing, and I don't use the words -- might I add effortlessly, I feel like authors have a checklist and/or a quota.

Frankly, I would put this in the trash, shake off being blindsided by the synopsis, and move on.

Behind you is the Sea is a book of interconnected short stories and had I realized that format I might not have requested a copy as that is not my favorite style of writing. Separate from the format this book is well-written and tells compelling stories of the members of a Palestinian American community in Baltimore.

I found myself enjoying the stories in the book's second half better than the first half and I'm happy I stuck with the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Behind You is the Sea in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you HarperVIA and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Now available.

Told in innerconnected stories, Susan Muaddi Darraj's Behind You Is The Sea is an exploration into the lives, loves, and losses of Palestinian Americans. What I love most about this collection is the way it keeps spreading, casting a farther and farther net until.we finally end up back in the homeland. Each story builds on the last & it's so satisfying to see previous characters weave in and out of new chapters. I feel like I can read a whole collection about this specific community!

There are not enough words to describe how beautiful of a book/story this was! I did not want it to end. The multiple POV worked very well here and allowed me to really connect with each individual story/character and their struggles and triumphs. I found myself very drawn to Samira's story and Marcus's story. Although this story centers that of Palestinian Americans and in some ways their unique struggle, both here and in their homeland, the characters were relatable and the family dynamics and challenges were one I think many people will connect with regardless of their heritage.

Reading this while Gaza is currently going through what it is going through did add another layer of understanding but also grief. The chapter where Marcus returns his father home to Palestine to bury him was hard to read because that homeland does not exist in that way anymore. Who even knows if burying loved ones there will ever be allowed again.

Truly a heartfelt, heart warming and phenomenal read.

This collection of short stories has so much depth. I really enjoyed the vast cast of characters and how they all intersected. I thought the conversations it starts were really interesting, and I was particularly touched by the poetic descriptions of Arabic. I do wish we got more exploration of the American cop character and the other characters reactions to this character, since I felt like there was some romanticization of him in this book. There is also a mention of Asperger's as a diagnosis, which has been pointed out by neurodivergent reviewers as harmful.

A beautiful collection of stories from interconnected characters. At times uplifting and other times heart breaking, I loved getting to spend time with this community of characters.

In this moving collection of vignettes, Susan Muaddi Darraj explores the range of experiences of the Palestinian diaspora. Short snippets spanning multiple years invites readers into the daily lives and struggles of these families: generational divides, class struggles, the differences in expectations of the American Dream.

Darraj has expertly interwoven the lives of her characters; we see these singular people interacting in both positive and negative ways with the Palestinian community around them and the communities they live alongside. This book is a lesson that the Palestinian experience isn't just about pain and suffering, though that is surely a part of the story just like it is for any culture. There is love and joy, successes and celebrations. Behind You is the Sea is a heartfelt reminder that the Palestinian struggle is the human struggle. The fears and concerns are the same as anyone else's, but there is the added dimension of being Palestinian, of being from a place that others are trying to destroy.

So many topics are covered in these chapters that there's something everyone can relate to: loving someone whom your family doesn't approve of, success against the odds, the divide in socioeconomics, body image pressure, intimate relationships that go both right and very very wrong, casual racism and learning to use your voice, what familial duty means.

In Behind You is the Sea, Darraj provides readers just a peak behind the curtain of what it's like to be a Palestinian living in American. Their lives are full, their hurts are familiar and so are their joys.

While there are numerous triggering topics in this book, they are largely off page and discussed briefly. Infertility, domestic violence, and misogyny would be the exceptions.

Complicated feelings for this one. There were a few things that made me raise my eyebrows while reading and couldn’t get behind. I did read it in one sitting so it wasn’t bad it was quite good and interesting.

Behind You Is the Sea is a novel-in-stories that fully immerses us into the lives of three Palestinian American families living in Baltimore. Darraj boldly confronts stereotypes about Palestinian culture while tackling themes of family, race, and the American Dream. From complicated teen pregnancies to daily triumphs, from joyous weddings to heartbreaking funerals—I was fully invested in these characters and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. These stories are rich, thought-provoking, and engaging. I cannot recommend this extraordinary debut enough.

There are several stories in this book, and most of them deal with the Arab immigrant, the Arab culture, their feelings of anxiety about being separated from their own people in the Middle East, the injustice of their culture toward the behavior of women, the acceptance of abominable behavior by men, the rigidity of some parents and the leniency of others as they adjust to living in the United States. This story takes place in Baltimore, Maryland. It covers the stories of several characters, each of whom finds their own way, coupled with joy and disappointment, success and failures. The difference in the lifestyle, moral and ethical codes of the way of life in their place of ancestry and their place of residence now, combined with their hopes and dreams, often created conflicts that became crises and were hard to reconcile, one way or another. In some cases, estrangement with both family members and the Middle East, was the consequence, in some cases, the dream of returning superseded all other aspirations.
My wish was to read this book with an open heart and an open mind ready to be compassionate, hoping to understand and be enlightened about the plight of the Arab who believed that a place called Palestine was their homeland. I hoped the novel would gently air the issue we face today, the issue of the inability to ever find a peaceful solution to the Middle East question.
I realized that the stories highlighted the trials of immigrants as they tried to adjust to the American way of life where it was easy to feel excluded or misunderstood. The main characters in this book are not religious radicals, but they are radically Arab. I do not mean that in a negative way, but to explain that they cling to their customs, as many of all origins cling to their own customs. Dishonoring the family is forbidden. As each character comes of age, or influences other family members, or chooses a life path that leads to either fulfillment or disappointment, their stories inspire empathy and a desire to learn more about their efforts and why their efforts work out happily or unfortunately.
Until the very last pages, the book highlighted the feeling of disappointment many of the characters had for their lives, and also their lack of a sense of responsibility for their failure to succeed. Some, like Marcus, did climb the ladder. He became a police officer and assimilated; some like his father, never would adjust and would always harbor anger and resentment. The stories about Alma, Rania, Reema, et al, all seemed sympathetic, but when it came to burying the father of Marcus and Alma, my understanding of the book’s message became harder to accept.
From the beginning, the book seemed to condemn Americans and their lifestyle, albeit subtly, which made it palatable. However, when the story ended with the body of Marcus Salameh being returned for burial to his family home in the Middle East, the message began to change. The abuses of the country that he blamed for ruling his people, were almost casually suggested, but that country was indeed, Israel. The blame for their lives in exile was placed squarely, not on their own shoulders for declaring war as soon as the state of Israel was recognized, but on the shoulders of the Jewish people who merely wanted to live in peace after the Holocaust. There was no mention of the United Nations vote to approve the state of Israel and a state for the Palestinians or of the refusal of the Arabs to accept the declaration.
The caretaker of Marcus’ father’s home was Rita. She was scarred emotionally and physically, presumably by Israelis, when she was imprisoned for throwing stones in the Intifada, a rebellion against the state of Israel. The reason that they are kept isolated and carefully monitored was not discussed, although it is because of the need to provide safety and security for Israelis. Suicide bombers and their desire to remove Israel from the map, as well as to exterminate the Jews, was never mentioned.
Therefore, the book seemed designed to promote the Arabs and to explain their plight. I get that, however, to ignore the reason for their plight, to place blame elsewhere, seemed disingenuous. Hence, when I got to the end, I was disappointed. I felt betrayed by the author and the publisher for pretending the book was not a “hit job” on Israel and the Jews, however, subtly.
Still, I thought it was written well, but the message for me, was horrific, since on October 7th, the barbaric massacre of Jews in Israel has still not faded from the news. To believe that. that behavior was justified, when no civilized people behave that way, is the theme that the Arabs are presenting to the public, this very day, with great support for antisemitism which should be condemned like any other form of hate, but it is encouraged by the radical left-wing that has taken a prominent place in society. This book is a tool in that tool box.
Therefore, I could not give the book the number of stars the writing perhaps deserved, because the message, for me, was incomplete. When, at the end, Marcus, the policeman expected to uphold the law in America, teaches Rita how to fire an illegal weapon, the book sent me to the depths of despair. That was the wrong message to end with since it is the rebellion, since 1948, that has caused the constant violence. This book too, is part of the problem, not the solution, and can possibly inspire more hatred and violence since it promotes and accepts violence as a viable outcome. The author could not have known, at the time of the writing of this book, of the barbaric attack on Israel on October 7th, that took the lives of more than a thousand Israelis and resulted in the kidnapping of more than 200 hostages. Israelis were murdered in their beds as they slept, were stolen from their beds, babies were roasted in ovens, young and old, male and female, were raped, defiled and mutilated, as the Arabs celebrated and congratulated each other on the death and destruction they had wrought. Israelis and Jews, no matter how you condemn them, have never behaved that way. Only barbarians like NAZIS, ISIS and HAMAS are capable of such inhumanity. Yet the Arabs were proud of their cruelty, and it inspired some to march in support of a system and a people that would just as soon murder them too. I condemn them for their outright genocide, for which they accuse others.
Until this madness ends, there will be more death and destruction. I cannot review the book more than this because I am emotionally involved as a Jewish woman who cannot understand the violence or hate or the lack of the Arab world's acceptance of their own people. They will not allow the Palestinians into their own sphere, yet they want Israel and the Jews to absorb and support them, them… those who want to exterminate them and make them extinct. No, a resounding no, that will never be acceptable. If this review is condemned, so be it. The truth is often hard to swallow.

~ Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this book. ~

“Behind you is the sea. Before you, the enemy.”

Raw. Emotional. Gut wrenching. Comforting. Relatable. Funny.

With every story, there were characters that reminded me of real people in my daily life, for the better or worse, and the storytelling felt like a friend telling you about their relationships, challenges, etc. The difference social class makes with how your community views you, was an element of this book I really appreciated.

The many descriptions of Palestine, what grandparents tell their grandchildren from the memories of their expulsion, the desire of the new generation to connect, and so much more, are elements that deeply touched my heart.

While this book made me ponder, at one point made me cry, and sometimes made me angry, I laughed a lot too. From the chapter of the wedding, to sibling relationships, and much more, Behind You Is The Sea is never dull.