Book of Disappearance

‘With deftness and layered knowledge, Ibtisam Azem pulls off a daring and inventive conceit, a spooky, witty novel that captures the paranoia of the usurper and the loneliness of those who survive to tell their tales. This is a definite winner which speaks directly to our anguish over Palestine.’ Leila Aboulela

‘Brilliant and Audacious’ Kamila Shamsie

‘Immensely readable . . . Azem does not resolve for us the calamity of Palestine's occupation by Israel. But stylishly and with jewelled virtuosity she makes us understand that acts of great and humane imagination will be required, and with this potent book points where and how we must all go.' Richard Ford

'Using a magical realism as cool and lacerating as that of Borges, Azem builds the story of a young Israeli journalist and his vanished Palestinian friend into a devastating exploration of the nakbah, betrayal, erasure, and love of home. For lovers of Palestinian literature, The Book of Disappearance has earned its place beside Saher Khalifa's Wild Thorns, and thanks to Sinan Antoon's masterful translation, Anglophone readers can now experience this thrilling, essential work.' Molly Crabapple

'In Jaffa, the most lively presence is that of the dead. Ibtisam Azem has gifted us with a poignant, mysterious, lyrical, new novel.' Ahdaf Soueif

'Unquestionably powerful.' Words Without Borders

'A wonderful book, showing … what the Palestinians have suffered and continue to suffer.' The Modern Novel

'A masterpiece which immediately leads the reader to ponder the historical foundations of the 1948 Nakba, as well as the Zionist intentions and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the land where they belong.' Middle East Monitor

‘An urgent and compelling novel … Brilliantly conceived and searingly executed’ Claire Messud

‘A book of prophecy. A book of reckoning. A book of gut-wrenching monstrosities and of profound tenderness. In this study of grief and love, state violence and wild self-delusions, Azem fearlessly looks into the void and calls out both its causes, its costs, and its lasting effects. The Book of Disappearance is a heartbreaking, awe-inspiring, genre-defying achievement.’ Preti Taneja

‘A beloved and important novel.’ Omar Robert Hamilton

‘This is an extraordinary novel, full of heartache, longing and love for Palestine, its immensely absorbing fantasy shining a dazzling light on the most important story of our time. Azem’s writing is magnetic – I loved every page of this unforgettable book.’ Mirza Waheed