Aref F. Husseini / Belhabib Abdelfetah
Librería Samer Atenea
Kálamo Books
Librería Elías (Asturias)
Librería Kolima (Madrid)
Librería Proteo (Málaga)
In the labyrinthine alleys of ancient Jerusalem, where the threads of history tightly entwine over a restless land, the human condition defies simple categorization. A fierce yearning for belonging collides with an unyielding impulse to erase the other. Aref Husseini’s novel, Half Ashkenazi, serves as a profound literary scalpel, dissecting the psychological and existential fault lines of this enduring conflict. It offers a chilling yet deeply moving journey through the hidden subcultures of new settlers and the quiet, resilient spaces of Palestinian homes that refuse to be forgotten.The narrative unfolds from within a battered white Subaru navigating the stark hills of the West Bank, carrying characters torn between conflicting identities-trapped between the marginalized Middle Eastern 'Mizrahi' heritage and the dominant Western 'Ashkenazi' hegemony. The work confronts raw questions of faith, trauma, and the weaponization of ideology used to reshape both geography and memory. Through masterfully woven perspectives, the story connects disparate worlds: from the strict corridors of Swiss religious schools to the silent, domestic battlegrounds of Sheikh Jarrah, where homes become the ultimate frontier between the displaced and the displacer.Half Ashkenazi transcends mere political commentary; it is an intimate psychological excavation of fractured lives. It exposes how manufactured myths can harden into absolute doctrines at the expense of indigenous history and human truth. Evocative, urgent, and deeply philosophical, this novel raises haunting questions about survival, leaving readers to ponder the fragile space where artificial narratives crumble and the quiet seeds of enduring hope are sown.
