Philistine, The - Softcover

Marshy, Leila

4.07

104 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1988130700 ISBN 13: 9781988130705

Publisher: Linda Leith Publishing, 2018

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Fiction. LGBTQIA Studies. Middle Eastern Studies. Nadia Eid doesn't know it yet, but she's about to change her life. It's the end of the '80s and she hasn't seen her Palestinian father since he left Montreal years ago to take a job in Egypt, promising to bring her with him. But now she's twenty-five and he's missing in action, so she takes matters into her own hands. Booking a short vacation from her boring job and Qu�becois boyfriend, she calls her father from the Nile Hilton in downtown Cairo. But nothing goes as planned and, stumbling around, Nadia wanders into an art gallery where she meets Manal, a young Egyptian artist who becomes first her guide and then her lover. Through this unexpected relationship, Nadia rediscovers her roots, her language, and her ambitions, as her father demonstrates the unavoidable destiny of becoming a Philistine--the Arabic word for Palestinian. With Manal's career poised to take off and her father's secret life revealed, the First Intifada erupts across the border.
"Leila Marshy illuminates love and identity in the streets of Cairo in a way that makes you feel you've watched her scenes through a high-definition kaleidoscope."--Kathleen Winter.
"This accomplished first novel gives us the vibrant story of Nadia's passionate love affair with an Egyptian woman, which compels Nadia to stay in the city long enough to rediscover her father and herself. The novel delicately hints at the societal tensions that will lead to the 2011 Egyptian Revolution while depicting a rich and surprising Cairo rarely seen."--Leilah Nadir

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About the Author:

Montrealer Leila Marshy is of Palestinian-Newfoundland heritage—she can tell a good joke, but it bombs. She has been a filmmaker, a baker, an app designer, a marketer, a farmer, and editor of online culture journal Rover Arts. She founded the Friends of Hutchison Street, a groundbreaking community group bringing Hasidic and non-Hasidic neighbours together in dialogue. She has published stories and poetry in Canadian and American journals and anthologies. THE PHILISTINE is her first novel.

"Aiwa?" It picked up after one ring. "Aiwa? Hallo. Hallo.""Baba..."The line went quiet. She thought it had cut out or he had hung up. "Nadia?""Baba. I'm in Egypt. Ana fi il qahira," she said, wiggling her head. "I'm in Cairo." It came out like a spilled bucket. "And guess where? The Nile Hilton. I just got here--well, a couple of days ago. I was tired for the first day, a little sick actually. I called you already but you must have been at work. I wasn't even sure if I had the right number! It's hot! We always came in summer so I just assumed that winter would be cool, you know. Like, not so hot. Well, okay, it's cold at night, but still. Can hardly call that cold, can you. So, yeah. I'm here." She took a deep breath, enough for another whole paragraph, but held it, waited."Stana, stana," he said, wait, wait. "Where here? In Cairo?" Cavernous spaces were opening up between his words, like an earthquake in full motion.She hopped around the room on her toes, twisting and untwisting the phone cord behind her. "Yes!""With your mother?""No, just me! Aren't you going to ahlan wa sahlan? I bought a plane ticket and just came. Magique, kidda!"

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