toxicity

Once again, writer Wadhah Sharara has released a new novel, "Sumayya," following the conclusion of his first novel, "Yesterday Today." Wadhah, considered one of Lebanon's most distinguished academics, writers, and intellectuals—and one of its most prolific and influential figures to date—has dedicated decades to publishing critical works in the fields of sociology and politics. While the novel, in its entirety, offers a unique perspective, it allows for the exploration of characters born into rich social eras, transforming them. Sumayya al-Mizan, the novel's protagonist, is a daughter of the new city, and with her comes a daughter whose transformation into a social figure she begins to interact with. She leaves the city for a job to get married before deciding to return permanently. The author follows her daily life, including the decisions she makes in her marital, familial, and professional relationships. It is a personal portrait of Sumayya as a daughter, a wife, and a working woman, but everything that delves into her character touches upon the concerns shared by an entire generation of women.

“The mother’s body relaxed for a moment, Sumayya thought that her mother had fainted, as had happened at first after her strenuous and closely spaced births. Sumayya called herself unlucky, cursing herself as she embraced her mother, feeling the fabric of the rose-colored dress sewn on her chest, smelling the water in which the mother dipped cotton in the morning, and lightly wiped it partially on her forehead, ears, and the top of her neck. A slight feeling of unease seized her before panic overwhelmed her when her mother’s whole body seemed to go mad, almost reaching her bones.”