The Inheritance of Exile: Stories from South Philly

Muaddi Darraj's collection of short stories, read together, form a loosely chronological narrative of the three-generation history of a Palestinian Christian immigrant family in south Philadelphia: Nadia, the narrator, her parents Nader and Siham, and her grandmother Siti. Strong women run in the family, and each generation is faced with the need to compromise between Old Country tradition and the American Dream. When Siham leaves her native Jerusalem to follow her new husband Nader to America, she is in for a rude discovery: that he was once married to a beautiful blonde American. When her sister falls in love with a WASP, the whole family turns against her for marrying outside of her community. When the daughter, Nadia, publishes a short story lampooning a family wedding, her father- initially so proud of his "writer" daughter- is indignant over the insulting portrayal of the behavior of certain family members. Why, he laments, could she not have stuck to fiction? This particular theme is likely to strike a wincing chord from many writers of immigrant heritage, caught between the imperatives of using the material at hand in their writing, and the indignation and incomprehension of traditional-minded relatives for whom family dignity is sacred. But then, wasn't it Thomas Wolfe who said you could never go home again, at least not after washing your family's linen in public? Not that Darraj does this here. Her stories are gently humorous at worst. The cultural and generational tensions that run through her work are merely the frame for the fierce interactions of close-knit families everywhere, in Jerusalem or in South Philly.

As I finished reading this book poolside, in a rare late afternoon alone and reading, I was so obviously teary that the also-reading-woman beside me asked, "Good book?" "Yes," I admitted, diving back into the narrative that had held me for the last 24 hours. I could not stop. Nadia, Hanan, Layla, and all the mothers, the Babas held me in the webs that had been woven for me to follow. And follow I had. This book is so well written, the stories so specific, yet full of the universal appeal of love/birth/survival/death, that I was entranced, caught in the web of South Philly and Arab-American culture. While this is a collection of short stories, they do weave a web of tales that create a plot for careful readers to follow. The daughters seek ways to stay within family bounds while finding a path in American society. All Americans not native to this country will be able to trace a connection to these women, both generations, and the various men whom they love. I will be a long time holding the lives and loves of these characters as I continue to find my own path in this American society.

The Inheritance of Exile is an authentic novel discussing the lives of Arab-American women living in south Philly. The author portrays the difference of the two cultures very well. Her book represents the dilema,and the frustrations that all first generation Immigrants face living in this country; trying to embrace the new culture and letting go of some of the old. While reading the book I felt that I am reading about my life living and growing up in this country. It is an excellent novel and I am looking forward to reading more written by the author in the future.

Susan Muaddi Darraj is a thoughtful young writer who uses a set of interlocking stories about four young Palestinian-American women and their mothers to explore the theme of exile, adjustment and hope, set in the very real neighborhoods of South Philadelphia. Her lyrical stories about her appealing and all too real characters explore important themes associated with immigration: cultural misunderstanding, religious differences (most of her exiled characters are Christians), intergenerational expectations, and the role of food and family in preserving and exploring culture. Overall, a very good read.

I am not an Arab-American, but I loved this book just the same. I fell in love with the characters--all of them. Their stories actually belong to anyone who hails from an immigrant background and who understands the effort to navigate two worlds: the one at home that includes relatives, parents and friends of parents, uncles, aunties--and the larger one outside the insular immigrant and cultural circle. I picked it up and read it in two days because I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys excellent, well-crafted, wonderful stories.