Dima Alzayat

All of these stories are written with an acute observation that's interwoven with a delicate, humane hand, but it's the opener that left me deeply affected. "Ghusl" is a sister's "sinful" appropriation of her brother's postmortem care after his sudden, violent death. Her refusal to let any strangers' hands perform the intimate rituals does not anticipate the paralyzing grief she must overcome. Poignant memories of a closeness borne from much tragedy accompany and enable her while they inform the reader. This story will stay with me a long time, a former ICU nurse, who was all too familiar with that sad, reverent task.

Highly recommended.… (meer)