Evil Review: Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

My wee review: Evil Eye by Etaf Rum tells the story of a Palestinian-American young mother coming to terms with her childhood trauma and finding her own voice really opened my eyes to the lived experience of immigrant women and intergenerational trauma, although sometimes it dragged a bit. Overall, a very insightful and inspiring read, if you're interested in introspective stories. Content warning: emotional and physical abuse.

I picked up Evil Eye about a month ago on a sunny autumn day at Type Books, because of the beautiful cover art (yes, I often judge a book by its cover...). Reading the description, I was intrigued by the premise of a Palestinian-American woman finding her own identity and navigating her complex family relationships. I had never read a book by a Palestinian author, and after war broke out in the Middle East, I felt compelled to pick up Evil Eye and give some representation to this perspective and culture in my reading life.

Beautiful cover and beatiful dark coffee.

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In this story, Yara is a young mother and wife with a seemingly picture-perfect life, but who is haunted by feelings of unfulfillment and hurtful memories of her past, growing up in Brooklyn and raised by Palestinian immigrants who (as the reader quickly learns) were emotionally and physically abusive. The novel takes place over the course of a year as Yara comes to grips with these feelings and memories.

What I loved:

Having never read a book about Palestine or Palestinians, I really appreciated the opportunity to learn more about this culture and the collective memory and trauma carried by Palestinians (both still living there or abroad), and how that impacts people for generations.

Reading from Yara's perspective, as a person grappling with this trauma, really illustrated how impactful and life-altering it can be. There are many times in the book where, to the reader, Yara is clearly not in the wrong, or is clearly suffering, but we only hear her perspective and how she dismisses her experiences or blames herself. This can be frustrating at times, but I think it also really shows the incidious nature of unresolved trauma and memory.

On that note, this book is a great case study of complex emotions like shame, grief, and fear. This can be hard stuff, but the author makes it manageable to handle (although based on any past experiences with things like abuse, this might be too much for you).

What I loved less:

This novel is predominantly about Yara's inner experiences as she examines her life and her memories, with flashbacks and journal entries as well. While this allows for a very in-depth exploration of Yara's inner experience, it can make the book feel a bit slow and repetitive at parts. I found myself skimming a little bit in the second half and I thought the book could've been about 80 pages shorter.

Reading chapter 45 (of 50-something) and

wishing it was about 15 chapters shorter....

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Final thought: I would recommend Evil Eye book to anyone interested in learning more about a Palestinian-American woman's experience, and particularly if you like stories of personal growth and overcoming hardship. But, if you prefer more plot-focused, propulsive reads, this might not be your cup of tea (or Turkish coffee).