Between Two Moons

A Novel

By: Aisha Abdel Gawad

Narrated by: Suehyla El-Attar Young

Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 CAROL SHIELDS PRIZE FOR FICTION AND THE NEW AMERICAN VOICES AWARD • A BOOKLIST BEST BOOK OF 2023 • Set in the Arab immigrant enclave of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, following three siblings coming of age over the course of one Ramadan, "a moving look at family, survival, and celebration" (Hanif Abdurraqib, author of A Little Devil in America).

"Breathtaking.”—New York Times Book Review

"A gorgeously written and profoundly intimate debut."—Etaf Rum, author of New York Times bestseller A Woman Is No Man

It’s the holy month of Ramadan, and twin sisters Amira and Lina are about to graduate high school in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. On the precipice of adulthood, they plan to embark on a summer of teenage revelry, trying on new identities and testing the limits of what they can get away with while still under their parents’ roof. But the twins' expectations of a summer of freedom collide with their older brother's return from prison, whose mysterious behavior threatens to undo the delicate family balance.

Meanwhile, outside the family’s apartment, a storm is brewing in Bay Ridge. A raid on a local business sparks a protest that brings the Arab community together, and a senseless act of violence threatens to tear them apart. Everyone’s motives are called into question as an alarming sense of disquiet pervades the neighborhood. With everything spiraling out of control, how will Amira and Lina know who they can trust?

A gorgeously written, intimate family story and a polyphonic portrait of life under the specter of Islamophobia, Between Two Moons challenges the listener to interrogate their own assumptions, asking questions of allegiance to faith, family, and community, and what it means to be a young Muslim in America.

©2023 Aisha Abdel Gawad (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE SUMMER: Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, Afar Magazine

“Multifaceted and moving…We’ll see the world primarily through the eyes of Amira, the dutiful twin, the one who cares enough to look; we’ll witness post-9/11 Muslim lives under relentless scrutiny; we’ll measure time by sunset and sundown and the long stretches of hunger and thirst in between; and all of it will feel like a bruise, painful and tender and sometimes beautiful…Amira’s triumph at the close of this breathtaking, elegantly structured novel is in experiencing how fully and desperately human she can be.”—New York Times Book Review

"The summer after high school graduation is full of promise. But for twin sisters Amira and Lina, the return of their brother from prison complicates some of those teenage plans. In Aisha Abdel Gawad's new novel, Between Two Moons, the sisters' family finds it's struggling with tensions in and outside of the home during the holy month of Ramadan. . . . A nuanced portrait of the Muslim-American experience."—NPR, Book of the Day

“Gawad honestly portrays the excitement and uncertainty of adolescence, set against a backdrop of racial tension that exploded in 9/11’s aftermath.”—Washington Post

Engaging and heartfelt

A beautifully written, insightful story. You feel like you really get to know the characters intimately. I wish I could continue the journey with Amira and her family to learn what happens next. Looking forward to future work from Aisha Abdel Gawad!

Beautiful heartbreaking story

I loved this story and my heart breaks for the world in which people have to live .. why can’t we be more compassionate towards one another and loving and understanding??

One of the very few books i would give a 5 star .

My mom recommended this book even though she was only on chapter 3. I couldn't stop listening. As an Arab/ Muslim with ties to the US, I could relate to the stories. I know these people. I know their stories. and now the book is over and I am left empty! I need to discuss the book with someone !!! anyone! My mom is still reading the book. I am also feeling a bit sad. I thought I knew the plot but I was wrong. Spoiler: The novel does end with some heavy emotions. I almost regret listening to the book rather than read it but we can't escape reality.

Amira and Lina are first-generation Egyptian-American twins who live in NY with their brother and Egyptian parents. The novel takes place during the month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast and the summer after they graduate from High School. Throughout the book, they laugh, they cry. they experience life as women. Amira also experiences the duality of being Female and Muslim in the US. It was a gentle book about family love and support among siblings and a sad reality about being a Muslim man in the US today.

I would love to check on Amira and her family in a few years and see how life has been treating them.

The narrator is AMAZING! The emotions she put into the words is just incredible. One of the best I have heard. However, I deducted a star (which was VERY difficult to do ) because I couldn't stand how she pronounced Arabic words. it was pronounced with an American accent. I was even surprised to find out she is Egyptian-American so I imagine she can pronounce the words correctly but perhaps it was done intentionally. but why? From my experience, even Arab - Americans who have some command of the language know how to pronounce words correctly. Also, sometimes the Arabs sounded more Latino than Arab. But don't let this discourage you, Arab listener. Suehyla's voice is haunting.

All the best to Aisha Abdel Gawad and may she write more and more books about the lives of Arab / Muslim-American

A family story

I understand a little more. Thank you for sharing. A pleasure to meet these characters.