First book finished for 2025. 

This book was beautifully written, although jarring in the particular themes it included, such as: Trafficking/Prostitution, Sexual Assault, Solitary Confinement

The story follows a character, Nahr, as she recalls her life while spending 16 years in solitary confinement in an Israeli prison. From her childhood, born of Palestinian refugees in Kuwait after the 1967 war, to then Jordan after the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait was overcome, to Palestine before the 2nd Intifada. 

I really liked that it maintained a feminist theme to it. Characters like Nahr are a joy, she constantly advocates for herself, and is entertainingly snippy when she’s insulted. Her sense of humour is pretty sly, and she’s written realistically, in that she still has moments of introspection that doesn’t paint her in the best light, which she acknowledges and moves on to try and do better.

The events of her life, from a failure of her marriage, to being tricked and blackmailed into prostitution, to returning to Palestine and finding love there, drawn into acting against the occupation. It’s genuinely a powerful novel that broke my heart a few times. Definitely recommend.