The Blue Between Sky and Water
Author- Susan Abulhawa
Publisher- Bloomsbury, Rs499
The djinns, apparitions, and spectres that haunt Abulhawa’s imagination are examples enough of her ability to portray not just the centuries of suffering undergone by Palestinians, but also their rich oral traditions and their former glory which can never be erased from history, writes IPSHITA NATH
Set against the first phase of the 1948 Palestine War, Susan Abulhawa’s The Blue Between Sky and Water is a book about the grief and agony of the ravaged Palestinians who were exiled to Gaza because of the war with Israel, and who survived despite the brutalities unleashed upon them. The book begins in the year 1947, and provides innumerable haunting images of the Aal-Nakba (the catastrophe) which tore apart the lives of countless civilians and impacted their notion of life and death, and their ability to cope with pain and suffering in a situation when all they were left with was the sheer will to survive.
The book captures the grief and despair of the Palestinians who were displaced from their homeland and made into refugees elsewhere. There is poignancy in the passages that deal with the battles they fought bravely to save their land, the constant threat to their lives and the perils of day to day existence. Several other parts of the book are equally potent and leave the reader stunned by the sheer graphic quality of them. The dramatic sections in the book which are often excessive, are yet fluid, evocative, and inextinguishable. And the striking descriptions of the Palestinians’ misery and penury, even as they called upon Allah for deliverance, will stay with the reader for long.
Consider, for instance, these lines on people’s flight to Gaza: “Without words, they walked away from their lives, away from these new conquering soldiers, who were drunk on an ancient virulence that mixed greed and power with God”. Indeed, Abulhawa doesn’t spare the audience. She strips history naked and parades it before us without bothering to sanitise it first. Thus, the ruthlessness and savagery of the Zionist soldiers are laid bare for the reader to ponder upon. Those who are unaware of the violence that generations of Palestinians have undergone, will be shocked out of their complacence.
The narrative, however, extends beyond its plaintive depiction of war and displacement. Through the characters of Mamdouh, Mariam, Nazmiyeh, and their mother (who conversed with djinns), the author narrates the political along with the ‘magical’ in Palestine. Indeed, the novel coalesces the Arabian supernatural with the Arabian real, so that the magical elements in the narrative do not strike one as odd or unnatural and in fact, blend with the subjectivities of Palestinians, creating a hypnotic effusion of suffering and superhuman resilience that cannot be matched.
Moreover, in including the esoteric, the author does not only lend a fantastical mood to the narrative, but in fact shows how the human often reaches out to the other realm for help through prayers and exhortations, and how the other world may respond sometimes. Magic is therefore natural and Susan Abulhawa manages to provide the organic, ‘insider’ view by frankly portraying how necromancy, clairvoyance etc figure majorly in their belief systems. Even violence and chaos can be understood through the irrational and the mystical, the latter of which is evidently integral to Arabic culture and traditions. In doing this the author radically complicates Middle East history, by interspersing the narrative with elements which are often omitted from mainstream discourses. Accordingly, the alternative stories and personal narratives that are often glossed over in official discourses regarding crises and conflicts, are proudly, and even defiantly, portrayed by the writer. In many ways therefore, Abulhawa enthrals the reader by her skill and her insight. The verse is sensual, even while depicting disorder and war, without, however, resorting to unnecessary sentimentality
Be that as it may, the story is not merely about nostalgia and dispersion, but also about the Palestinian’s need to forget and remember (their loss) at the same time. The author manages to weave trauma with nostalgia, pain with exhilaration, defeat with resilience, in the most spectacular fashion. The character of Nur, Mamdouh’s granddaughter, therefore becomes fascinating because she is born in “Amreeka” to Westernised parents, and yet, becomes part of the long history of exploitation and abuse that Palestinians have faced over centuries. Indeed, she is unable to escape what seems to be fated for a Palestinian: Trauma and rejection. However, the novel becomes about her choices as a modern Palestinian woman, resourceful, educated, and independent, who is trying to find redemption in the contemporary world. Nur reclaims her identity, and embraces her people and culture, de-spite her hybridity. The theme of going away and returning are thus important, because coming back to live with family becomes one way of gaining redemption.
It must be said that the djinns, apparitions, and spectres that haunt Abulhawa’s imagination, are examples enough of her ability to portray not just the centuries of suffering undergone by Palestinians, but also their rich oral traditions, and their former glory which can never be erased from history. And even though the book incorporates recollections of the past, the novel is forward looking. The answers to all questions that arise as the narrative progresses, indeed lies somewhere in between. It is interesting to see the characters learn and realise important lessons of life, even as they suffer.
The book is published by Bloomsbury Circus, in a rather unwieldy size, but attractive nonetheless for its fascinating jacket that captures the different shades in narrative and the mood of the ‘stories’ that the novel contain. It is priced somewhat steeply at Rs499, however the research that went into the writing of the novel, as well as the fluid and effortless reading experience, is worth the price. Moreover, Abulhawa has written at a time when narratives of Palestinians are extremely relevant and crucial, given the international situation regarding Israel.
If readers are yet unaware of the nuances of the Palestinian issue, this book will help them understand how tragical the situation still is for them. For others, suffice it to say that this is a stirring tale of people affected by warfare, politics, and capitalism.
The reviewer is an Assistant Professor at DU