Entrancing, intriguing, and engaging.
Abu-Rish’s latest novel chronicles one man’s grueling yet ultimately rewarding journey in the aftermath of a traumatic experience. It’s 1963. Mustafa, a foreign student from Duke University and a Palestinian man, is viciously attacked and raped by three men while on his way to a political rally in Durham, North Carolina. Deeply traumatized, he decides to take a cross-country walk toward Stanford University, where he has been accepted. His journey takes him through many thrilling and difficult moments; he is met with injury and hospitality, felonies and kindness, racism and friendship — not to mention an incredible Polygamist family of Palestinian-Americans. Over the course of his travels, Mustafa experienced a spectrum of emotions but realized his greatest challenge was within himself: could he reconcile his desire for intimacy with the pain caused by this deep wound? Could he be a supportive partner to the woman he loved? The story covers a wide range of emotions, from the comfort of newly discovered friendships and acts of kindness, to the hardships caused by prejudice, run-ins with authority figures, and the unbreakable bond of love. One of the most affecting aspects of the story is Mustafa and Michelle’s connection. Their deep regard for each other and their development of a shared plan for the future touch readers, stirring powerful feelings inside them. As they traverse their path together, readers are made to contemplate essential lessons on absolution, self-awareness, and humanity’s capacity for endurance. The novel, sometimes earnest, sometimes melodramatic, seeks to uncover how those crippled by their circumstances contort and distort themselves in order to blend in. Despite the trauma of his past, Mustafa manages to find some peace in his newfound friendships and connection with Michelle. The personal drama, however, is only one part of Abu-Rish’s complex story—the novel also pulls back the curtain to reveal the most obvious and ugly manifestations of racism in 1960s America. Abu-Rish also offers a primer on country living, farming life, polygamy, and student life. Although the never-ending streak of bad fortunes for Mustafa tests readers’ patience at times, there is sufficient tension and intrigue to keep the pages turning. In a society that often avoids discussing the truth of sexual assault, this book rises above the silence with its dynamic candor and sincere understanding, particularly for male victims whose stories are so frequently ignored. Poignant and heartrending.
Intimate Fractures: The Aftermath of a Rape
Wagih Abu-Rish
Kirkland Publishing House
Pub date September 27, 2023
ISBN 979-8985915235
Price $21.95 (USD) Hardcover, $16.95 Paperback, $1.99 Kindle edition
