Aaliyah, while her life in Beirut is so difference from mine, gets into my head. Her unending love of literature and her devotion to it has molded her solitary life. She overcomes her disastrous short marriage, her overbearing demanding family, and lives her life the way she wants to. The most interesting thing to me is that this book was written by a man…so many things about Aaliyah that I can relate to. I was hooked by the first few lines. The poetry of Alameddine, the tone and intellegence of her charactar pulled me in, as did her spirit. Not much happens in this novel, but it was never meant to be a plot-driven novel. It's a romance, but her lover is books. She lives alone in her apartment, translating one book a year. Her prose caresses the works she loves, unflowery and lyrical. She tells of her life and treats the people in it as characters- since she is a translator, she has no control of the characters, nor does she want control. She lets life pass her, disinterested to all those except her books and those that threaten her solitude with them.
What do You think about La Mujer De Papel (2012)?
Beautifully written. Unusual subject and very interesting. Enjoyed this.
—Mama
Really well written, but this book didn't really grab me.
—mani
The writing is gorgeous. A feast for book lovers.
—brii
Absolutely loved every minute of this book.
—Iridian
