Behind You Is the Sea

Behind You Is the Sea
Publisher: Swift Press
Published Date: June 2024
ISBN-13: 9781800754171

Behind You Is the Sea is a compelling debut that fearlessly challenges stereotypes surrounding Palestinian culture.

A Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by Ms MagazineLithub and Elle

Funny and touching, Behind You Is the Sea brings us into the homes and lives of three main families – the Baladis, the Salamehs, and the Ammars – Palestinian immigrants who’ve all found a different welcome in America.

Their various fates and struggles cause their community dynamic to sizzle and sometimes explode: the wealthy Ammar family employs young Maysoon Baladi, whose own family struggles financially, to clean up after their spoiled teenagers. Meanwhile, Marcus Salameh confronts his father in an effort to protect his younger sister for ‘dishonouring’ their name. Only a trip to Palestine, where Marcus experiences an unexpected and dramatic transformation, can bridge this seemingly unbridgeable divide between the two generations.

Behind You Is the Sea faces stereotypes about Palestinian culture head-on, shifting perspectives to weave a complex social fabric replete with weddings, funerals, broken hearts, and devastating secrets.

Author(s):

Winners of the Palestine Book Awards

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