There are no words that can do this book justice, especially not at a time when the people of Gaza are being brutally bombed, starved and deprived of their most basic of rights; not when there’s a colonial entity conducting raids and random acts of violence in the West Bank, nor when there’s increased settler violence and military operations, leading to displacement, in East Jerusalem and Bethlehem. In every beautiful city of Palestine, a darkness looms, and Susan AbulHawa’s Mornings in Jenin perfectly depicts the injustice, heartbreak, struggle and sadness that lingers during the lifetime of Palestinians.
Mornings in Jenin isn’t a light read, it’s a reality for millions of people in Palestine. Following the Abulheja family, we are introduced to their life pre-occupation, and then to the generations that come during the occupation. Amal, the central character, suffers the loss of her brother to abduction, her father to the occupation, her mother first to mental illness and then to a bullet, and her brother. It is through her life, that begins and ends in Jenin refugee camp, that we see every horrific truth of occupation.
We begin with the Abulheja family, who at the time reside in Ain Hod, and are deeply connected to their lands and trees, in the early forties. We spend some time getting to know the characters before the 1948 Nakba forces them to move to Jenin refugee camp. A grandfather, his kids, and their kids. It is during that tenuous move from one city to another that his son and his wife lose their little boy, later to be revealed that he had been abducted by an Israeli soldier. After this, we continue with the family’s life in Jenin refugee camp through the eyes of their daughter, Amal, who narrates her moments of laughter with her friend Huda, and her moments of terror living under occupation. When her mother is killed, Amal is sent to an orphanage where she makes several friends, and because she is a very bright student, she receives an opportunity to study in the United States. After a lot of hesitation, she leaves her life behind and goes to the USA.
There, Amal becomes Amy, and we live with her the heaviness of having to cope with a normal life after knowing nothing but unsteadiness for an entire lifetime. Amal reconnects with her brother, who has now married the love of his life, and decides to visit them in Lebanon. There she meets Majid, who becomes her husband. When the Civil War in Lebanon intensifies, and the situation of Palestinians becomes precarious, Amal is urged to leave, again, leaving behind her brother, his wife, their child and her husband; she goes in hopes that they will follow soon. But that doesn’t prove to be a reality. Amal remains in the USA raising her daughter for two decades before deciding to go back to Jenin, this time with her daughter and long-lost brother, whom she had just formed a connection with.
Abulhawa’s writing is not just emotional, it is melodic. Every scene in the book can easily be pictured, as if reproduced. Her characters are easy to imagine, and she makes it even easier to empathize with them. Her poetic way of writing coupled with the emotional character arcs make this incredibly difficult read a must add to any reading list. It’s a testament to the strength of the human soul in the face of unimaginable tragedy and will become a read that will stay with you long after you have turned the final page.
