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Trees For The Absentees

Young love, meddling aunts, heart-to-hearts with friends real and imagined, Philistia's world is that of an ordinary student. Except in Palestine, and with your father in jail, nothing is ordinary.

Publication date: 12 September, 2019
Status: Published
Book: Paperback
Regular price £8.99
Regular price Sale price £8.99

Description

Translated from Arabic, Trees for the Absentees is a relatable coming-of-age tale of young love, meddling relatives, and heart-to-heart connections.

Philistia is an ordinary university student with an extraordinary life. She has no idea when her father will be released from prison, and works part-time washing women’s bodies in the ancient Ottoman hammam in Nablus. A midwife and corpse washer in her time, Philistia can't help but reminisce about her late Grandma Zahia, who taught her the ritual ablutions and the secrets of life and death. In the enthralling darkness of

About the Author

Ahlam Bsharat

Ahlam Bsharat grew up in Tammun in Palestine and now lives in Ramallah. Following a master's degree in Arabic, she worked as a teacher for several years. An award-winning author of poetry, picture books, short stories, novels, memoirs, and TV and radio scripts, she also works for the Ministry of Culture in Ramallah. Her literary craft has taken her to Belgium and France, where she was artist in residence. Her book, Code Name: Butterfly, was shortlisted for the 2017 Palestine Book Award.

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