The Arabist

The Arabist

By Issandr El Amrani and friends.

A child's view (of Civil War)

Words Without Borders gives a very positive review to a debut novel written from the point of view of a young Lebanese girl during the Civil War, by the Lebanese-British author Nathalie ABi-Ezzi. As the reviewer points out, "to construct a compelling narrative with only a linguistically-limited and innocent voice as a conduit is a daunting challenge, one which few novelists have taken up and still fewer pulled off successfully." The best example I can think of is Henry James' brilliant What Maisie Knew, the story of her parents' divorce--and subsequent affairs and marriages--from the confused point of view of young Maisie.