Bend Like the Willow: A Tale of an Arab Promise

Bend Like the Willow: A Tale of an Arab Promise by Susan Glasier is a many layered story of a young naive American girl who sets out for her first year of university and finds instead a shocking introduction into a cross-cultural marriage of contradiction, mystery and eventual heartbreak with a darkly handsome Muslim North African (Algerian) man.

Along this path, she discovers that life in post-war Algeria with two babies is as fraught with danger and sadness as is the man she married. Both are burdened with hopes and expectations that can never be fulfilled. In the end, their story turns out to be a tale of a woman who loves a man and a man who loves his country.

Excerpt from BEND LIKE THE WILLOW: A Tale of an Arab Promise by Susan Glasier:

“No, no, please no cry, Sewsi. It hurts my heart to see you cry. We fix this –” he pauses, “this – this thing.” I look at him. I don’t know him. One minute I love him and the next, I don’t understand who he is. What does he mean we will fix this thing? It is not a thing. Oh god, please don’t let there be a thing.

We arrive at the office door. We enter to find ourselves in front of a high, dark mahogany counter. The nurse behind it looks up. “Uh, you are –?” she asks in a no-nonsense voice. “Susan Glasier,” I whisper. “Oh,” her voice changes to the gentle one I remember from the phone. “Yes,” she adds, “Just have a seat and the doctor will be with you right away.”