You definitely did this book justice Bob. It is a hard book to talk about as there is so much in it with looking back to the past and the Nakba and forward to this possible future and all the varying perspectives we get. I loved Alaa seeing Jaffa through his grandmothers eyes and the way the book showed the gamut of opinions from Israelis towards the Palestinians. The way the narrative of the media shifted and how Ariel’s behavior mirrors the occupation by the end. Lots of food for thought especially in view of recent events.
@@anaovejero103 yes! I was really impressed by how the concept subtly develops throughout the book! If you’ve not read Jose Saramago’s ‘Blindness’, this book reminded me of that a lot, in a good way!
Thanks, Bob!🌷I’ve stopped watching before the spoilers, as I’m going to read this book. I’m only sorry I can’t get a reasonably-priced hard-copy, so I’ll have to use my e-reader. I’ll come back to your spoiler section afterwards.
@ Hi Bob😊I didn’t know Everand, but I don’t think I could use it, as my eyes get very tired from reading on my ipad. I don’t read many e-books, but I have a kindle paperwhite, which I find reasonably eye-friendly, and I and could find The Book of Disappearance there as well. I’m also rather disappointed about not being able to find anywhere (not even on the kindle) one of the WPF longlisted books I am most interested in, Somewhere Else by Jenni Daiches. I live in the Netherlands, and even though The Hague central library has a reasonable collection of books published in English, I don’t expect to be able to find it there now. May be if it wins the Women’s Prize…😁📚
@ Ahh, totally fair! I think you can download the app onto your kindle to read it there too, but totally get that! And that’s so frustrating- sorry to hear it! It’s wild how tricky they can be to track down outside of the UK/North America!
I’m bailing at the spoilers time stamp. With Israel bombing Gaza again despite the “ceasefire “ and cutting off aid, food , electricity and water…. I don’t know if I can read this??
@@jacquelinemcmenamin8204 Yeah, it’s a book that is made even trickier to read with every news update, unfortunately, but I think shows just how bold the book is too. I started reading it not too long after Trump’s comment about whether Palestinians could just move out for a bit while their homes were turned into luxury resorts, and it made this book even more relevant.
Great discussion. I was moved by the Grandmother , having lived through the Nakba and the subsequent renaming of the places she had lived before 1948. It’s almost a mirrored reverse of the main action of this novel… in the Grandma’s case, the names and collective history just went away and she liked in a sort of ghost city in which so much she knew just went away, was erased, disappeared…
You definitely did this book justice Bob. It is a hard book to talk about as there is so much in it with looking back to the past and the Nakba and forward to this possible future and all the varying perspectives we get. I loved Alaa seeing Jaffa through his grandmothers eyes and the way the book showed the gamut of opinions from Israelis towards the Palestinians. The way the narrative of the media shifted and how Ariel’s behavior mirrors the occupation by the end. Lots of food for thought especially in view of recent events.
I have it reserved at my library and now really looking forward to reading it.
@@barbarahelgaker390 ooh, I hope you enjoy it!
I am so excited for this one! Still waiting for my copy, it is the in book that this year is running out of copies, but I don’t mind waiting 😊
Ooh, fingers crossed! I found it on Everand too! But yes, I’m excited to hear more people’s thoughts on this one once it’s a bit more widely read!
@ I cancelled my everand because I was not enjoying ebooks as much…
I really liked the story! The concept is very interesting and it is well-developed thoughout the narrative.
@@anaovejero103 yes! I was really impressed by how the concept subtly develops throughout the book! If you’ve not read Jose Saramago’s ‘Blindness’, this book reminded me of that a lot, in a good way!
Thanks, Bob!🌷I’ve stopped watching before the spoilers, as I’m going to read this book. I’m only sorry I can’t get a reasonably-priced hard-copy, so I’ll have to use my e-reader. I’ll come back to your spoiler section afterwards.
@@emmavd Ah yes! With some indie presses it can be harder to get that way- I found it on Everand, if you use that?
@ Hi Bob😊I didn’t know Everand, but I don’t think I could use it, as my eyes get very tired from reading on my ipad. I don’t read many e-books, but I have a kindle paperwhite, which I find reasonably eye-friendly, and I and could find The Book of Disappearance there as well. I’m also rather disappointed about not being able to find anywhere (not even on the kindle) one of the WPF longlisted books I am most interested in, Somewhere Else by Jenni Daiches. I live in the Netherlands, and even though The Hague central library has a reasonable collection of books published in English, I don’t expect to be able to find it there now. May be if it wins the Women’s Prize…😁📚
@ Ahh, totally fair! I think you can download the app onto your kindle to read it there too, but totally get that!
And that’s so frustrating- sorry to hear it! It’s wild how tricky they can be to track down outside of the UK/North America!
I’m bailing at the spoilers time stamp. With Israel bombing Gaza again despite the “ceasefire “ and cutting off aid, food , electricity and water…. I don’t know if I can read this??
@@jacquelinemcmenamin8204 Yeah, it’s a book that is made even trickier to read with every news update, unfortunately, but I think shows just how bold the book is too. I started reading it not too long after Trump’s comment about whether Palestinians could just move out for a bit while their homes were turned into luxury resorts, and it made this book even more relevant.
Great discussion. I was moved by the Grandmother , having lived through the Nakba and the subsequent renaming of the places she had lived before 1948. It’s almost a mirrored reverse of the main action of this novel… in the Grandma’s case, the names and collective history just went away and she liked in a sort of ghost city in which so much she knew just went away, was erased, disappeared…