SALT HOUSES by
Hala Alyan
The meaning of the title is noted three fourth of the way
through the book when the family patriarch, Atef, reminisces, “the houses glitter whitely…like
structures made of salt before a tidal wave sweeps them away.” His family – 4 generations – leave behind houses
as war follows them from Palestine, to Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, Boston, Manhattan
and back to Lebanon. One of the
daughters in trying to identify her heritage is at a loss. Is she Palestinian –
she has never lived there. Is she Lebanese or Arab or Kuwaiti or……..
And that is the essence of this tale. What is our heritage? Is it the place of our birth, where we live
NOW, where we lived before, how do we define ourselves?
Alyan describes loss and heartache in beautiful prose. Her characters live and breathe. The sense of place is palpable. Although this tale is specifically Palestinian,
the rootlessness of the refugee is timeless and placeless.
You will need the family tree at the beginning of the book to
keep the generations straight. The time and place notations at the beginning of
each chapter help the reader keep track of the family’s migrations and the time
frame of the various wars and tragedies from just before the 6 Day War through
the current Middle East uprisings.
Lots for book groups to discuss here.
5 of 5 stars
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