I recently finished Suad’s Amiry short book Sharon and My Mother-in-Law. The book is based on Amiry’s daily doings and escapades in Ramallah in the West Bank. It is an engaging book that sheds some light on life while living in the West Bank under occupation. It uses humor to take the reader inside the lives of Ramallah residents that must endure curfews, incursions and travel restrictions. Sharon and my Mother-in-Law is written in an informal and sardonic manner that brings the challenges suffered by Amiry and her family closer to the reader’s heart.
I must admit, however, that although the book can be extremely amusing at times, I found the writing to be too informal. I am someone who appreciates a simple yet elevated writing style. The continually informal tone turned me off a number of times and stood in the way of my completely enjoying the book.
The book also doesn’t provide enough historical background of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle and it jumps between the years, failing to fill in the gaps. As a concerned observer of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, I had no trouble following Amiry’s portrayal of historical events, but I would have to assume that someone less familiar with the conflict would find the book hard to follow. All in all, the book is an easy and amusing read. I would give it 6.5/10.
Meanwhile, it has been seven days since the kidnapping of my friend Jill and still no news! Sigh!