Mother of Strangers

A Novel

By: Suad Amiry

Narrated by: Amin El Gamal, Lameece Issaq

Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Set in Jaffa in between 1947 and 1951, this “fable-like historical novel of young love ... darkly humorous and touching” (Oprah Daily) is based on a true story during the beginning of the destruction of Palestine and displacement of its people.

Based on the true story of two Jaffa teenagers, Mother of Strangers follows the daily lives of Subhi, a fifteen-year-old mechanic, and Shams, the thirteen-year-old student he hopes to marry one day. In this prosperous and cosmopolitan port city, with its bustling markets, cinemas, and cafés on the hills overlooking the Mediter­ranean Sea, we meet many other unforgettable charac­ters as well, including Khawaja Michael, the elegant and successful owner of orange groves above the harbor; Mr. Hassan, the tailor who makes Subhi’s treasured English suit, which he hopes will change his life; and the very mischievous and outrageous Uncle Habeeb, who insists on introducing Subhi to the local bordello.

With a thriving orange export business, Jaffa had always been a city welcoming to outsiders—the “Mother of Strangers”—where Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived peacefully together. Once the bombardment of the city begins in April 1948, Suad Amiry gives us the grim but fascinating details of the shock, panic, and destruc­tion that ensues. Jaffa becomes unrecognizable, with neighborhoods flattened, families removed from their homes and separated, and those who remain in constant danger of arrest and incarceration. Most of the popula­tion flees eastward to Jordan or by sea to Lebanon in the north or to Egypt and Gaza in the south. Subhi and Shams will never see each other again.

Suad Amiry has written a vivid and devastating ac­count of a seminal moment in the history of the Middle East—the beginning of the end of Palestine and a por­trait of a city irrevocably changed.

©2022 Suad Amiry (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR from NPR

“A captivating novel about love amid warfare . . . a story as sobering as it is entertaining.”—The Hudson Review

“Toward the beginning of this novel, Subhi–“the best mechanic in town,” despite being only 15–is called to fix the well of a local citrus magnate. When he arrives at the grove, he is taken aback by how different the city of Jaffa looks from way up high; how seeing it from this vantage point must affect one’s hopes, fears, politics and loyalties. That sense of perspective-shifting carries throughout the book. The characters force readers to think about how our desires change when our settings do and how expansive (or limited) our sense of reality might be.”—“Books We Love 2022,” NPR

“[A] moving story. . . . Mother of Strangers describes the price paid in human lives when exclusivist states are created violently.”—Middle East Books Review

Touching

I loved this story and once I realized it was based on true events I was very much touched by the beauty of the humans spirit. The tragedy of so many lives being disrupted and destroyed but so bravely endured was amazingly touching and at times unbelievably painful. If everyone was like the characters in the story life would have been so much more better in the world.

Absolutely amazing story of the Nakba

I am a grandchild of the Nakba (my mother was born in 1946 and fled in ‘48 with some of her family.) This is an absolutely incredible story that I only wish was fiction. Had me weeping by the end. Highly recommend!

The best book I read this year .

I was born in Amman after 1948 . My parents were kicked out of the home in Safad . A great book brought lots of sadness and laughter to my heart .

Old Jaffa Comes Alive Again

Amiry’s rich descriptions of Jaffa as it existed before the nabka from buildings to streets to the sea, the port, the orange groves and neighborhoods match exactly with the stories we’ve heard from our large family that fled to Beirut in May 1948. My husband was born in 1949 in a refugee camp in Beirut. The family home still stands on Aplaton Street in Jaffa, occupied by strangers. The heartbreak continues and these stories must never be forgotten as the descendants continue with resilience, determination and love for the city of oranges. So grateful for this well-written book.