Behind You Is the Sea

This potent novel-in-stories from Muaddi Darraj (The Inheritance of Exile) follows a group of Palestinian Americans in Baltimore. In "Ride Along," Marcus Salameh, a U.S. Marine, is trying to mediate a conflict between his father and his sister, who's graduating from college with honors after coming out of a rough patch following an abortion. "Escorting the Body" finds Marcus returning to Palestine to bury his father and reflect on how his Baba's American dream had turned sour because of his inability to be more compassionate to his family. The title story looks at the power dynamics between rich and poor immigrants, as a young woman named Maysoon Baladi takes a job as a cleaner for the Ammars, a wealthy fellow Palestinian family. In "Gyroscopes," high school student Layla Marwan, a cousin of the Ammars, expresses concern about the negative representation of Arabs in her school's production of Aladdin, but is ignored by her adviser. Throughout, Muaddi Darraj brilliantly depicts complex characters reckoning with the costs of holding tightly to their principles. This is a beautiful portrait of a family reaching for their dreams while holding onto their roots. Agent: Thomas Colchie, Colchie Agency. (Jan.)

"Their homeland casts a heavy shadow in this poignant novel about Baltimore's Palestinian immigrant community. Taken from a famous saying by legendary commander Tariq ibn Zayid, the title of Darraj's novel aptly describes the situation facing her ensemble cast, which finds itself trapped between Old World expectations and the challenges of life in America. . . . [Stories are] masterfully choreographed in a book in which each chapter reads like a small masterpiece. . . . A moving portrait of Palestinian families caught between the pressures of the Old World and the New." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Draws a composite portrait of Palestinian American families with sensitivity and humor ... breaking down stereotypes and embracing complexity." — New York Times

"Mainstream media has a way of curating images, shaping the narratives of people and nations. . . . Rarely are Arabic-speaking people portrayed with much nuance or depth. Which is, in part, what makes Behind You Is the Sea such an important work: Its characters come to life, transcending politics, breaking through preconceptions and stereotypes, speaking clearly and lucidly about their uniquely human experiences....Neither angels nor devils, these characters are portrayed in all their complicated, charming, aggravating, bewitching glory. They are human, and as such, they are us." — Washington Post

"Darraj writes with great emotional resonance about hope and disappointment." — New Yorker

"This gorgeous debut, an intergenerational novel-in-stories following three Palestinian-American families in Baltimore, navigates a tricky balance beam: It's a zoomed-in family drama that simultaneously captures wide-lens truths about cultural differences; the weight of history; and the myriad manifestations of love." — Elle

"[Behind You Is the Sea] is a shimmering composite portrait of a Palestinian American community in Baltimore. Across nine stellar linked stories, [Darraj] explores the complex relationships between characters divided by—or connected despite—class, language, and traditional values. . . . Darraj depicts the variety of immigrant and second-generation experience (especially women's), probing cultural and generational differences in a sensitive, life-affirming way. This compassionate novel-in-stories, set in a Palestinian American community, prioritizes the experiences of young women, and explores class and cultural divides that surround three families." — Shelf Awareness

"[Muaddi Darraj] has written a rich, complex, and moving immigrant story with a beautifully-rendered ensemble cast." — Literary Hub

"In award-winning author Susan Muaddi Darraj's debut novel, warmth and humor animate a lively cast of Palestinian American characters who've made a home in Baltimore." — San Francisco Chronicle

"Lively and enlightening." — People

"A nuanced, eye-opening novel full of compelling characters." — Book Riot

"Behind You Is the Sea not only hones in on the personal lives of Palestinian Americans but provides a commentary on juggling two different cultural identities, both old and young . . . [the novel] is sure to capture the readers' attention on the different multiplicities of Palestinian-American life and grapple with occupied identity in a land that professes freedom." — The New Arab

"In her dazzling fiction debut, Susan Muaddi Darraj explores generational divides, activism, reproductive justice, labor and tradition, to name a few." — Ms. Magazine

"Susan Muaddi Darraj's powerful debut novel-in-stories, Behind You Is the Sea, depicts multiple immigrant Palestinian families in Baltimore, whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways. Darraj uses a kaleidoscopic point of view, dropping the reader into a character's life at a pivotal moment, then switching to another character later in time, providing a multifaceted look at their community." — Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Told through the perspectives of an interwoven group of protagonists, each chapter stands on its own as an. Engaging, at times funny, at times revelatory and poignant short story. As the book evolves, the elegant pieces form a mosaic, revealing a unique and diverse community that, while sharing universal U.S. immigrant experiences, also defies stereotypes. Behind You Is the Sea should be on fiction readers' shortlist for 2024." — Baltimore Magazine

"Behind You Is the Sea touches on the stereotypes about Palestinians and shifts perspectives to showcase the complexities that lie within Palestinian culture and identity." — Muslim Girl Blog

"[Behind You Is the Sea] fearlessly confronts stereotypes about Palestinian culture, weaving a remarkable portrait of life's intricate moments, from joyous weddings to heart-wrenching funerals, from shattered hearts to hidden truths—I wept and grew alongside this family. This is a story that challenges perceptions, offering a heartfelt glimpse into the interior lives of those who call this community home. A must read novel with unforgettable characters and an unwavering, fresh voice—I couldn't put it down until the very last page! Darraj delivers an instant, necessary, and authentic classic to the cannon of Arab-American literature." — Etaf Rum, author of Evil Eye and A Woman Is No Man

"We desperately need more books like this in which Palestinian people are presented as beautiful, richly complex human beings, not consigned to insulting, diminishing references. Gratitude to Susan Muaddi Darraj for her very necessary, beautiful work." — Naomi Shihab Nye, award-winning poet and author of The Turtle of Michigan

"Susan Muaddi Darraj's Behind You is the Sea is a powerful and moving novel about the lives of Palestinian immigrants. Told in rich, lush prose, this propulsive and beautiful novel will stay with me for a long time. I loved it." — Brandon Hobson, National Book Award finalist and author of The Removed

"Behind You Is the Sea sweeps readers along as its characters search for love, dignity, and belonging while carving out their own unique destinies. The result sometimes defies cultural tradition and risks deep losses, but these characters always land closer to their personal truths. With tenderness and fitting humor, Muaddi Darraj deftly weaves multiple Arab American voices into a resonant chorus of humanity." — Sahar Mustafah, author of The Beauty of Your Face

"With this unforgettable novel, Susan Muaddi Darraj assumes a unique place in American letters, her Palestinian sensibilities animating universal truths of the human condition. With gritty realism and poetic grace, she writes not simply of survival, but of dignity and flawed nobility in a world overflowing with cynicism and pain. From beginning to end, this novel-in-stories is filled with characters not easily forgotten, and the final story is, quite simply, one of the best that I have ever read. I am grateful for this book." — Frye Gaillard, author of A Hard Rain

"Not the Arabian Nights, but a new Arabian Days for our time, the intricately interlocked stories of Behind You Is the Sea bring us richly detailed news of the Palestinian immigrant experience in America (largely under-reported till now). Susan Muaddi Darraj has a keen ear and a gift for capturing the many different voices that compose her polyphony. She's just as good at the nuances of cross-cultural interaction; this book will show you how different kinds of people can learn to get along, and also how they often don't." — Madison Smartt Bell, author of All Souls' Rising, Child of Light: A Biography of Robert Stone, and Behind the Moon

"In Behind You Is The Sea, multiple generations of a family confront stubborn, complicated truths while shouldering the burdensome weight of history. Susan Muaddi Darraj has fashioned a moving tale in which love, beauty, and life persist despite many injustices — indeed, despite everything." — Jabari Asim, author of Yonder

"Susan Muaddi Darraj's Behind You Is the Sea, a tale of the interwoven lives of Palestinian American families in Baltimore, Md., will get your heart racing and leave you sitting at the edge of your seat. Muaddi Darraj paints highly complex and authentic portraits of Arabs in America as they struggle with poverty, religion, living in between two cultures and the pursuit of the American Dream. This page-turner of a novel is an instant classic, and a welcome addition to the canon of writing on the Arab American experience." — Malaka Gharib, author of It Won't Always Be Like This and I Was Their American Dream

"Literature is slowly beginning to draw attention to the ways in which the socio-political America we know has created the beast of internalized colonization: a form of genocide and cruelty that continues to wreak havoc among cultures who predate the United States and those who come seeking fraudulent dreams. Behind You Is The Sea is a spellbinding, complexly simple examination of family, culture, and what it means to exist, what it means to be seen, and what it takes to make invisible visible. This novel will capture your heart and mind." — Morgan Talty, award-winning author of Night of the Living Rez

"Behind You Is the Sea is the perfect follow-up to A Curious Land. The town of Tel al-Hilou lives on in this short story collection, revisited through the lives of its inhabitants' American-born relatives. Darraj teaches us that some conflicts take generations to heal and that, conversely, love can bloom when and where least expected. Bringing to life Palestinian lives at home and abroad, Susan Muaddi Darraj is building a literary legacy—depicting new challenges, concerns, and conflicts with the same masterfully deft hand." — Amina Gautier, Pen/Malamud Award winner and author of The Loss of All Lost Things

"Behind You Is the Sea is an achingly tender portrait of family and exile. The characters felt like family; even when they broke my heart, I was cheering them on. Muaddi Darraj explodes stereotypes and presents a window into Palestinian and Arab-American life that is refreshingly complex. Rarely have I seen an author tackle gender and class in Arab-American communities with such a deft hand." — Aisha Abdel Gawad, author of Between Two Moons

"Behind You Is the Sea illuminates the varieties of struggle, dignity, and steadfast courage in eight interconnected Palestinian-American characters as they seek the precarious balance between self and family, past and future, and their dreams in an America that never guarantees safety. Dogged by feuds, class struggles, and family politics, each believes that they must survive all on their own; yet their lives, like individual letters, come to form a vibrant, unforgettable novel about the complexities of this community....[Darraj] writes from a heart that is not divided between two cultures, but doubled—and her novel will swell your heart, too." — Sarah Cypher, author of The Skin and Its Girl

"There's a quiet power to Behind You Is the Sea that left me feeling a sense of awe. Susan Muaddi Darraj knows how to create a world of complex, rich emotions and unforgettable characters that live on beyond the last page. Darraj is simply one of our best." — Rion Amilcar Scott, author of The World Doesn't Require You

"This gorgeous novel cements Susan Muaddi Darraj as the foremost literary voice on Palestinian-American life." — Susan Abulhawa, author of Mornings in Jenin and Against the Loveless World