The intense second novel from Balsam Karam, a children’s librarian, and Swedish writer of Kurdish ancestry. Atmospheric and elegiac, this is less conventional narrative than a series of snapshots centred on immense loss, displacement, and generational trauma. Karam's main characters are two women who are divided yet ultimately irreparably connected. One is a pregnant woman on a business trip, she’s travelled from Europe to a distant seaside resort. The nameless resort hosts wealthy, mostly-white, tourists who spend their time in its newly-built luxury hotels and upmarket restaurants close to the corniche, a winding road separating land from sea. As the visitor walks near the shore, she witnesses a woman throw herself into the water. This dying woman is a refugee, a mother who, together with her children and own mother, has been living in a makeshift tent, in a rubble-strewn, bullet-marked alley. A futile search for her missing oldest daughter has led to total despair. It’s not clear what’s happened to this teenage girl. Was she captured by the predatory men who haunt the local streets? Or did she attend a demonstration and fall foul of local authorities? Meanwhile, once again at home in Sweden, the businesswoman refuses to allow her now-dead child to be induced, convinced refusal can somehow break a wider cycle of grief and disappearance.

Karam’s narrative is plotless, rhythmic, and repetitive, sometimes literally, sometimes metaphorically. Images surface and resurface, as with the slowly-fading children abandoned in the alley, whose overlapping voices act like a chorus or song of mourning. As the setting moves to Sweden, Karam uses slashes / to distinguish between immediate reality and memory, as the Swedish woman drifts between her present in a hospital ward and visions of her childhood friend Rozia who died in war. The style changes again, as she begins to recall her family’s arrival in Sweden as political refugees in search of asylum: their struggles with racism, and attempts to adjust to a culture that refuses to meet them halfway. Karam is partly drawing on her own history here - the woman’s mother bears scars from torture that closely resemble those of Karam’s activist father; and the trauma of stillbirth echoes Karam’s own. Karam binds her fragmented episodes by invoking the idea of a black hole in which absence of gravity forces bodies together, removing the spaces in-between. Somewhere between fiction and prose poetry, I found this incredibly compelling, affecting and deeply felt. Translated by Saskia Vogel.

With many thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy. A fascinating experimental short novel that maintains a consistent narrative tension. Highly recommended!

Balsam Karam's upcoming book The Singularity will be published by Fitzcarraldo Editions, a reputable publisher of high-caliber books. This book, whose release date is set for January 2024, has already generated interest.

The story takes place in an unknown city filled with refugees and centers on a woman who is devotedly searching for her missing child. The distinctive emphasis on the female perspective in this novel, which provides insight into their difficulties and experiences, makes it stand out. The plot gains a fascinating layer from the setting's uncertainty in terms of time and place. The distinction between the past, present, and future is muddled by the battles shown, which are uncannily reminiscent of our own day.

After that was established, I struggled to understand the narrative's structure, identify the narrator, and follow the characters. The plot seemed obscure and mysterious; perhaps it was too sophisticated for me. It is clear that this book has many levels, and a subsequent reading can reveal new depths.

This was a really profound read that will probably stick with me for a while. Beautifully written with a solemn tone, definitely don't recommend this one if you're going through a tough time!

The Singularity is an upcoming novel by Balsam Karam and published by Fitzcarraldo Editions, publishers known for quality literature. Scheduled to be released in January 2024, this book has already garnered anticipation.

The narrative unfolds in an unnamed city amidst refugees, focusing on a mother in relentless pursuit of her lost child. What sets this story apart is its unique focus on the female perspective, offering insight into their challenges and experiences. The ambiguity of the time and place setting add an intriguing layer to the plot. The struggles depicted are eerily reflective of our contemporary era, blurring the lines between past, present, and future.

With that being set, I found myself grappling with the narrative's flow, struggling to discern the narrator and track the characters. The story seemed elusive and enigmatic, maybe it was too smart for me. It's evident that this book possesses multiple layers, and an another reread might unveil different dimensions.

Although this wasn't one of my personal favorites for this year, I acknowledge its potential to be nominated for the Booker International Longlist for 2024. Balsam Karam is an author I would definitely read more from.

I loved the intentions and politicised stance of this work but somehow the writing felt too lax and slightly disconnected to have the visceral effect that I expected. I also felt the shifting voices worked against the intensity of the piece as there were too many resting places for me as a reader and I wanted to feel the tension racheting up without the opportunity for escape.

This is still a powerful book that humanises the refugee/migrant situation in a way that is being increasingly diluted by our venal Tory government - I'd like to see this book in many hands even if it wasn't quite the impactful piece of writing that I expected. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Wow, that was heartbreaking. One review of this novel says it was like drinking teardrops. I disagree, it was more like injecting teardrops and drinking teardrops all the while bathing in teardrops.

If you fancy having your heart broken into pieces, then here's how......