Susan Muaddi Darraj is the daughter of successful immigrants. They left their home village of Taybeh, near Ramallah in Palestine in 1967 to make a new life in America. There, they worked hard, saved well and put four children through university. But they were in the minority.
“The immigrant success story is more rare than people imagine,” Muaddi Darraj tells The National. “I am interested, in my novel, in the majority of immigrants – those who arrive and continue to struggle.”
That novel is Behind You Is the Sea, a powerful and poignant portrait of three Palestinian immigrant families in Baltimore. It unfolds through linked tales that highlight the trials, upheavals, aspirations and expectations of a wide range of characters.
“I love experimenting with voice,” Muaddi Darraj explains. “The characters in my novel take control of their own chapters, and you get to experience the world through their perspective. This form also allows me to illustrate for the reader just how diverse the Palestinian community really is.”
Characters readers meet include Layla, who takes issue with the representation of Arabs in her high school’s production of Aladdin. Walid tries to mask his disapproval as his son marries a non-Arab woman (who insists on calling him “Ray” instead of Raed), while enduring ignorant remarks from the bride’s father. And Rania learns the hard way that her husband lied about his involvement in a heinous crime.
Older characters regard emigration as a wrong move. “Mama wishes she’d never left Palestine,” says one woman. “She thinks America is one big trick that God played on her.”
At the centre of the book is Marcus Salameh, a police detective investigating a domestic violence case who then picks sides in a family rift. Marcus reappears in the book’s bravura closing chapter. After obtaining permission from the Israeli embassy to bring his father’s body back to Palestine to be buried (“letting a dead Palestinian come home was better than a live one”) he travels there for the first time and discovers a family secret.
Muaddi Darraj had a clear objective for this, her first novel. “For many people in my social circle, I am the only Palestinian they know,” she says. “When I see the ways in which the media regularly dehumanises Palestinians, it’s because most people simply don’t interact with any who might challenge those deeply entrenched stereotypes about them.
“In this novel, I set out to introduce the reader to one particular Palestinian community, and I do so by introducing you to its members one by one. Each person you meet is a bridge to the next person, and so on. And I hope you eventually see that these people actually feel very familiar and that you have a connection.”
Like her characters, Muaddi Darraj lives in Baltimore. But life didn’t start out there. She was born in 1975 in Philadelphia in a working-class area with a melting-pot community.
“I heard a lot of beautiful stories about Palestine and was lucky enough to travel there with my family every few summers to spend time with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins," she adds. "Later I studied at Birzeit University as a college student for one semester. It’s a beautiful place and its people are hospitable, resilient and generous. It feels like home in the best ways.”
Muaddi Darraj decided to become an English professor but, at the same time, “always tinkered with writing my own stories". Her literary output has been both varied and acclaimed, from the Arab American Book Award-winning short story collection A Curious Land (2016) to a groundbreaking series of children’s books.
“Farah Rocks is the first children’s series in North America to feature a Palestinian character,” she says. “I’m very proud of that, especially because I wrote it for my own daughter to help diversify her own bookshelf, to allow her a mirror in which to see her own life reflected.”
Muaddi Darraj is acutely aware that not enough Palestinian authors’ voices are being heard.
“We are terribly underrepresented,” she acknowledges. “Right now, during the assault on Gaza, Palestine is in the news every day, and yet it would be easier to get an assignment to write an op-ed or think piece if you are not Palestinian than if you are.
“This is very frustrating for me, but I try to mentor young Palestinian writers and help them understand the industry.”
At one point in Behind You Is the Sea, a character who is employed to clean up after wealthy, pampered teenagers, declares: “Arabs are ridiculous; even if they live a dream life, they want to star in some tragedy. If there is no tragedy, they imagine one.” Unfortunately, the tragedy in Muaddi Darraj’s ancestral homeland is all too real. She is appalled at the worsening crisis.
“What we are seeing now is a genocide, an attempted erasure of the Palestinian people,” she says. “It started decades ago and it has now reached a horrifying point. The murders of almost 40,000 people are only possible because of the dehumanising and racist ways in which Palestinians are depicted in the media. This is most obvious when you compare media coverage of Palestine to Ukraine.
“I hope that social media, literature, public demonstrations will do what the news media, at least in the USA, cannot do – present a fuller picture of who the Palestinians truly are.”
Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj is available now, published by Swift Press
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ARGYLLE
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Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Tewellah by Nawal Zoghbi is out now.
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'
Rating: 3/5
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
SQUADS
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt), Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Usman Salahuddin, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Bilal Asif, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas, Wahab Riaz
Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne (vice-capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Rangana Herath, Lakshan Sandakan, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Gamage
Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG) and Nigel Llong (ENG)
TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
ICC match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
The%20specs
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
MATCH DETAILS
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum (14), Oxlade-Chamberlain (52)
Genk 1
Samatta (40)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abu Dhabi GP starting grid
1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
4 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
5 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7 Romain Grosjean (Haas)
8 Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
9 Esteban Ocon (Force India)
10 Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
11 Carlos Sainz (Renault)
12 Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
13 Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
14 Sergio Perez (Force India)
15 Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
16 Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
17 Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
18 Stoffe Vandoorne (McLaren)
19 Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
20 Lance Stroll (Williams)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')
Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')
Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)
THE%C2%A0SPECS
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Sri Lanka World Cup squad
Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Isuru Udana, Milinda Siriwardana, Avishka Fernando, Jeevan Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk