Behind You Is the Sea

Behind You Is the Sea is a moving collection of short stories following the lives of a Palestinian American community in Baltimore. The work transcends generations, each story offering a vivid glimpse into the lives of immigrants from the ’90s to now, their extremely mundane and American hopes and dreams, hardships and losses.

The collection is diverse, but the threads of class disparity, gender discrimination, and Palestinian immigration weaves each vignette together. Susan Muaddi Darraj brings each character to life in brilliant complexity, portraying each one with a refreshing dignity. The collection truly finds its stride in the second half of stories, with each character offering a compelling, moving and often shocking insight into their lives. It’s a privilege to be so fully immersed in the minds of characters so different from oneself, each one distinct and individualistic in their humour, dreams and outlook. Muaddi Darraj is a master at portraying the lives of characters with vastly different perspectives and backgrounds.

But as the title foreshadows, their Palestinian heritage follows them constantly, as looming and sure as the ocean coast. Behind You Is the Sea is an immigrant story, a class story, and a love letter to Palestine.