crochet girls

Author's name: Jilan Al-Shamsi

He puts his little hand into his pajama pocket and takes out the tooth that fell out today.

He firmly tells me that he must put it under his pillow until the Tooth Fairy comes and exchanges it for money. Trust me, I smile. When I was a child, there were no fairies or witches. We used to stand in front of the open window and sing: “Take the buffalo’s tooth, and bring me the bride’s tooth.”... He wakes up the next day to find his tooth gone and in its place money has appeared. He tells me that the fairy really did come to him while he was sleeping to ask him what he wanted, and he told her he wanted a blue crochet hook.

The characters in this book are unconventional, delving into the idea of ​​loss, the search for self, the cycle of life, and return. Some stand on the edge, while others return from death. The reader will find themselves witnessing the life of a person transform into another who lived hundreds of years ago, or characters meeting their selves at the end of a journey. They will see Marie Antoinette looking down at them from the balcony of her palace, find themselves inside a hotel that has gone back in time, or witness a bus disappearing into the fog. Some characters try to adapt to their surroundings, while others try to escape it.

The author shapes each story through a mosaic of details. These small, enjoyable details lead the reader to build the story's world for themselves. Between loneliness, boredom, and the absurdity of fate, questions open up in the reader's mind, opening up broad horizons for interpretation.