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You Exist Too Much

Autor Zaina Arafat
en Limba Engleză Paperback – 8 iun 2021

Ne imaginăm o fetiță înroșindu-se în fața unei dorințe pe care nu o poate numi, o imagine care se transformă, peste ani, în portretul unei femei captive între Brooklyn și teritoriile palestiniene. În You Exist Too Much, debutul autoarei Zaina Arafat, prima scenă nu este doar un început, ci o promisiune a unei vieți trăite la intersecția dintre vizibilitate și negare. Cartea ne propune o structură fragmentată, sub formă de viniete, care oglindește fidel psihicul fragmentat al protagonistei: o tânără care navighează prin labirintul dependenței de iubire și al nevoii de a fi „văzută” cu orice preț.

Considerăm că forța acestui roman rezidă în onestitatea brutală cu care tratează „mizeria” emoțională. Nu este doar o poveste despre maturizare, ci o explorare a modului în care traumele transgeneraționale se manifestă prin obsesii romantice și impulsuri nesăbuite. În tradiția stabilită de Etaf Rum în A Woman is No Man, acest roman continuă investigația asupra femeilor palestiniene prinse între dorința individuală și normele stricte ale culturii arabe, însă Zaina Arafat reimaginează acest conflict prin prisma identității queer. Dacă la Etaf Rum accentul cădea pe greutatea tăcerii, aici vocea este una electrică, provocatoare, care reclamă spațiu chiar și atunci când i se spune că „există prea mult”.

Stilul este unul evocativ, cu o ușurință a atingerii care maschează profunzimea durerii. Trecerea de la apartamentul confortabil din Brooklyn la întâlnirile amoroase riscante și, în cele din urmă, la centrul de tratament, oferă un ritm amețitor. Ne-a atras atenția modul în care foamea de afecțiune maternă este legată de căutarea unui „acasă” geografic, transformând geografia personală într-o hartă a dorințelor neîmplinite.

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Specificații

ISBN-13: 9781646220595
ISBN-10: 1646220595
Pagini: 272
Dimensiuni: 138 x 207 x 19 mm
Greutate: 0.28 kg
Editura: Penguin LLC US
Colecția Catapult - Knopf Doubleday Publishing

De ce să citești această carte

Recomandăm această carte cititorilor care caută o proză contemporană curajoasă, în stilul lui Maggie Nelson. Este o lectură esențială pentru cei interesați de intersecția dintre identitatea culturală și cea sexuală, oferind o perspectivă rară asupra modului în care dependența afectivă poate deveni o formă de exil. Veți câștiga o înțelegere profundă a complexității umane prin ochii unei protagoniste care refuză să fie simplificată sau salvată prin clișee.


Descriere scurtă

A "provocative and seductive debut" of desire and doubleness that follows the life of a young Palestinian American woman caught between cultural, religious, and sexual identities as she endeavors to lead an authentic life (O, The Oprah Magazine). On a hot day in Bethlehem, a 12-year-old Palestinian-American girl is yelled at by a group of men outside the Church of the Nativity. She has exposed her legs in a biblical city, an act they deem forbidden, and their judgement will echo on through her adolescence. When our narrator finally admits to her mother that she is queer, her mother's response only intensifies a sense of shame: "You exist too much," she tells her daughter. Told in vignettes that flash between the U.S. and the Middle East--from New York to Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine--Zaina Arafat's debut novel traces her protagonist's progress from blushing teen to sought-after DJ and aspiring writer. In Brooklyn, she moves into an apartment with her first serious girlfriend and tries to content herself with their comfortable relationship. But soon her longings, so closely hidden during her teenage years, explode out into reckless romantic encounters and obsessions with other people. Her desire to thwart her own destructive impulses will eventually lead her to The Ledge, an unconventional treatment center that identifies her affliction as "love addiction." In this strange, enclosed society she will start to consider the unnerving similarities between her own internal traumas and divisions and those of the places that have formed her. Opening up the fantasies and desires of one young woman caught between cultural, religious, and sexual identities, You Exist Too Much is a captivating story charting two of our most intense longings--for love, and a place to call home.

Descriere

Descriere de la o altă ediție sau format:
'Deeply compelling... sexy.' Roxane Gay

'Takes you on a dizzying tour of love addiction, rehab, homophobia, betrayal, obsession and the aching need for a mother's unconditional love. At different times throughout, you'll find the protagonist needy, reckless and selfish but also smart, intuitive and trapped between two cultures - because as we all know, humans are nothing if not complicated. Roxane is right: this deserves five stars.' Stylist

Told in vignettes that flash between the US and the Middle East, Zaina Arafat's powerful debut novel traces her protagonist's progress from blushing teen to creative and confused adulthood.

In Brooklyn, she moves into an apartment with her first serious girlfriend and tries to content herself with their comfortable relationship. Soon, her longings, so deeply hidden during her teenage years, explode out into reckless romantic encounters and obsessions with other people, which results in her seeking unconventional help to face her past traumas and current demons.

As heard on Radio 2 Book Club, this captivating novel is perfect for readers who love Maggie Nelson and Garth Greenwell. Opening up the fantasies and desires of one young woman caught between cultural, religious and sexual identities, You Exist Too Much is a captivating story charting two of our most intense longings - for love, and a place to call home.

What people are saying about You Exist Too Much:
'Real and deliciously messy.' Attitude

'An elegantly written debut... A thought-provoking exploration of love and belonging, and how the two come together to create a sense of self.' New European

'Exquisitely written and crafted with a compelling lightness of touch.' Living Magazine

'A nuanced, sparky debut.' Observer

'A wonderfully written, queer, coming-of-age story.' i newapaper

'A novel of self-discovery following a Palestinian-American girl as she navigates queerness, love addiction and a series of tumultuous relationships.' The Millions, One of the Most Anticipated Books of the Year

'Powerful... With You Exist Too Much, Arafat announces herself as a provocative and insightful writer.' Irish Times

Recenzii

A wonderfully written queer coming-of-age story
Navigating queerness, bisexuality, love, and addiction, this captivating story takes readers on a journey to find two of the things we all long for the most: love, and a place we can call home. If you're looking for a captivating, first-person read, this really is one you don't to want to miss
Switching between New York, Beirut, Florence, Washington DC and the West Bank, You Exist Too Much takes you on a dizzying tour of love addiction, rehab, homophobia, betrayal, obsession and the aching need for a mother's unconditional love. At different times throughout, you'll find the protagonist needy, reckless and selfish but also smart, intuitive and trapped between two cultures - because as we all know, humans are nothing if not complicated. Roxane is right: this deserves five stars
The first-person narrator has a distinctive voice and is a magnetic presence on the page; the scenes with her mother are electric . . . A nuanced, sparky debut
Powerful . . . With You Exist Too Much, Arafat announces herself as a provocative and insightful writer
A wonderful illustration of how our most significant formative relationships can be simultaneously the most positive and negative force in our lives
Real, non-fetishised bisexual characters can be few and far between in literature, but You Exist Too Much isn't just worth reading for its efforts in representation. It's a stunning debut . . . It's a devastating portrayal of what it's like to feel as though you never fit in - both in terms of the narrator's sexuality and racial identity. Arafat handles these weighty topics with real compassion
Arafat's writing is fresh, witty and packs a heavy punch
An elegantly written debut . . . a thought-provoking exploration of love and belonging, and how the two come together to create a sense of self
A stunning debut . . . Arafat handles . . . weighty topics with real compassion
You Exist Too Much is a first novel that is exquisitely written and crafted with a compelling lightness of touch
'You Exist Too Much takes you on a dizzying tour of love addiction, rehab, homophobia, betrayal, obsession and the aching need for a mother's unconditional love. At different times throughout, you'll find the protagonist needy, reckless and selfish but also smart, intuitive and trapped between two cultures - because as we all know, humans are nothing if not complicated' Stylist

In Brooklyn, a young woman moves into an apartment with her first serious girlfriend and tries to content herself with their comfortable relationship. Soon, her longings, so closely hidden during her teenage years, explode out into reckless romantic encounters and obsessions with other people which results in her seeking unconventional help to face her past traumas and current demons.

Opening up the fantasies and desires of its protagonist, caught between cultural, religious and sexual identities, You Exist Too Much is a captivating story charting two of our most intense longings - for love, and a place to call home.