Author Spotlight: Lama Sakhnini

Two brothers embark on diverging paths in an attempt to reclaim their predestined lives. Omar is the actively extroverted scientist who trusts causation and motion. Basheer is the contemplative introvert—a simple worker who seeks meaning in stillness. Together, they symbolize the material and spiritual aspects of the no-win reality of the Palestinian diaspora. Their story is simple and placid, like the innocent perceptions of the participating characters, but also as complex and deep as their torrential emotions. As the two brothers travel and balance new experiences with loyalty to their homeland, Basheer meets a young girl named Khawla whose choices could change everything. From Palestine to Lebanon, then to Jordan—and always back to the Land of Canaan—Omar and Basheer represent the humanity of diaspora from perspectives old and new. Deir Al Lauz highlights many of the stages of contemporary Palestinian history while capturing the lively beat of its pulse as two brothers wrestle destiny.