![]() ![]() ![]() Guapa is a remarkable novel that reckons with individual integrity, cultural conformity, and what it is to be queer in the Middle East.Ī debut novel that tells the story of Rasa, a young gay man coming of age in the Middle East The heart of this story is in the human web spun around Rasa: his loyalty to Maj, his liability to Teta, his longing for Taymour. In his post-Arab Spring home country, he is queer in post-9-11 U.S., he is “too Arab.” Wherever Rasa finds himself, he is the “other.” He is defined by the identity that his community rejects. But at the same time, it can be very constricting.” For Rasa, this is a burden, the threat of shame that isolates him. It binds communities and creates boundaries and creates trust. Central to Haddad’s debut novel is the Eib, what he says “is like a social code. The novel spans a single day, containing these events and their fallout while Rasa wrestles with family history, memories of his time in the U.S., his country’s uncertain political landscape, and his own desires. He later learns that his best friend Maj has been arrested, whether for his sexual preference or for his political activism is a mystery. “The morning begins with shame.” So begins the story of Rasa, a gay, Muslim man living in an unnamed Arab City who has just been discovered in bed with his lover Taymour, by his grandmother Teta. ![]()
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