Evil Eye

A Novel

De: Etaf Rum

Narrado por: Vaneh Assadourian, Gail Shalan

“A moving meditation on motherhood, inter-generational trauma and how surface appearances often obscure a deeper truth. . . . A stunning second novel from a writer who set the bar very high with her first!”—Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romantics and Community Board

The acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of A Woman Is No Man returns with a striking exploration of the expectations of Palestinian-American women, the meaning of a fulfilling life, and the ways our unresolved pasts affect our presents.

"After Yara is placed on probation at work for fighting with a racist coworker, her Palestinian mother claims the provocation and all that’s come after were the result of a family curse. While Yara doesn’t believe in old superstitions, she finds herself unpacking her strict, often volatile childhood growing up in Brooklyn, looking for clues as to why she feels so unfulfilled in a life her mother could only dream of. Etaf Rum’s follow-up to her 2019 debut, A Woman Is No Man, is a complicated mother-daughter drama that looks at the lasting effects of intergenerational trauma and what it takes to break the cycle of abuse." —Time magazine, "The Most Anticipated Books of the Year"

Incredible Story

This book was beautifully written and incredibly relatable. I felt like the author articulated some of my own complex emotions on my healing journey.

This book is about guilt, anxiety, and depression

I had hoped to get another glimpse into the Palestinian culture in America. However, although the characters are Palestinian, and the book touches on some of the customs and norms of that culture, this book was much more about a woman struggling with anxiety and depression because of her status as a Palestinian wife, as well as guilt over things that happened when she was a child. Unfortunately, the narrator tended to have a very whiny voice, whereas had I read the book I would’ve interpreted the main character as more sad than whiny.

Wonderful story filled with women empowerment and journey towards self discovery.

I am so glad I picked this book up as a Palestinian American woman! It provided me with a sense of belonging and understanding of the struggles of being an immigrant and balancing two distinctly different cultures delicately. I would have loved to hear the Arabic words pronounced more authentically, but overall this is a great book that highlights the struggles of being an Arab American woman and not fitting in fully to either community. The references to cultural traditions were so beautiful. The coffee cup readings, the evil eye necklaces, the references to a close knit immigrant community, the fear of judgement… it all hit a soft spot. Good read. Looking forward to checking out other selections from this author!

Read this book

This book was beautiful, thought-provoking, and well written. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to relate to the story, but I had high hopes. I think we can all relate to Yara’s journey of finding your voice, learning positive self talk, and being brave enough to make the right decisions. Her battle with childhood trauma and her healing was enlightening to me and I hope it is enlightening to many others as well as they learn to love themselves and open themselves up to love from others.

Beautiful book

Performance made the book even better. Amazing book about personal growth and overcoming challenges a lot of women feel.