Yesterday today

A joyful gleam spread through her brow, her gait, her cheek, and the shape of her lips, which touched without closing. It was a joy that might take flight if she so desired, when the opportunity arose—a playful, merriment-filled moment, or perhaps the beginning of a postponed game. Like her, I considered and interpreted her actions directly, based on a one-sided perspective, like her gaze. When I caught a glimpse of her, I saw a bride adorned with layers of white lace, a Persian language, and a narrow veil of sleep covering her face, neck, and shoulders. A fine mesh veil obscured the features of the young bride. Thus, by choice, I could see only the image of this face, the interplay of light and shadow upon it, the mingling of its silence with its murmuring. "Yesterday Today" is the debut novel by the writer Wadah Sharara, making it highly anticipated by many of his readers, who know him as a distinguished academic researcher and a socio-political commentator. The novel, aimed at discerning readers, is set in southern Lebanon and is written with the author's characteristic eloquence. It tells the story of the narrator's childhood, beginning with his parents' separation and his departure from his mother to live with his father in his remote village in southern Lebanon. While the novel highlights the narrator's struggles during his transition from a middle-class urban lifestyle to a more conservative rural one, it also portrays his childhood adventures, particularly his romantic escapades, both at school and with his cousins, both in the village and after his return to the city with his father.