The Bookish Mindset

Overview:

Title: Behind You is the Sea
Author: Susan Muaddi Darraj
Published: June 2024
Genre: Literary Short Stories
Themes: Relationships, Family

One sentence summary: A collection of short stories that links three Palestinian families, all of whom have immigrated to America.

One sentence review: A brilliant read full of love and despair.

Review:

Behind You is the Sea is a collection of short stories that links three Palestinian families, all of whom have immigrated to America. This move has affected each family and each member differently and they live with those choices daily. 

This is an absolute must read. This book had me tearing up at multiple stories, I was entirely engrossed. 

While we only see snapshots of each characters lives, we’re with them for long enough to make a dramatic impact. Their stories need to be told.

The interconnectivity works seamlessly through this short novel and as stories are pieced together, we see how far the decisions we make spread to our families and loved ones. 

I couldn’t put this down once I picked this up, I am absolutely recommending it.

If you’d like to get yourself a copy, you can support local bookshops while doing so on Bookshop.org with this link here.

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And don’t forget to check out my other blogs and reviews – you can find books with similar themes in the same folder link below, or click back onto blogs to see the whole offering.

Last updated 18/06/2025