Title: Deir Al Lauz: Breaks Its Shackles and Embraces the Dream
Author: Lama Sakhnini
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 9781532027246
Pages: 98
Genre: Fiction
Reviewed by: Krista Schnee
Pacific Book Review Star
Awarded to Books of Excellent Merit
The land flourished under their care. The people of Deir Al Lauz were a people of faith and family, a community tied together by a shared heritage, Palestine. With the formation of the state of Israel, members of these families faced separation from their loved ones as Palestine was divided into districts that were strictly segregated by force. The Palestinian diaspora did not destroy the nation and their shared stories, but instead the people became united in their refusal to accept the occupation of their land.
Omar and Basheer called Deir Al Lauz home. Twins born out of the love of faithful parents, they only knew the security of a loving family. As the Israeli military swept through their homeland, the brothers chose different paths. Basheer, the quiet ascetic, studied the Koran and tended to his crops. Sustained by his beliefs, he sought stillness and tradition. Omar, the older, intelligent brother, studied science and math while pursuing a part in the Palestinian revolution. One dove into the inward space of faith while the other fought for change for his people.
As the brothers lived in the midst of the Israeli occupation, they created meaning as members of a nation divided by war. Omar taught the children math and nurtured their independence; both generations, however, held the Kalashnikov rifle as the means to gain true freedom. At home in Deir Al Lauz, Basheer met the lovely but troubled Khawla, the woman who would awaken his manhood. Finding their own way as Palestinians in a divided land, the brothers would suffer the effects of their decisions. Devotion to family and faith, though, remained even as the bitterness of years took hold.
In the book, Deir Al Lauz: Breaks Its Shackles and Embraces the Dream, Lama Sakhnini portrays the life of a family in the mythical village of Deir Al Lauz. The characters of Omar and Basheer illustrate two diverging paths in the diaspora, that of tradition and of revolution. Through their stories, Sakhnini gives readers a window into the lives of a people divided by politics and war. Sakhnini’s prose is richly detailed and poetic, often reminding one of the writing of Rumi. By maintaining this mystical element in the novel while grounding the tale in historical truth, Sakhnini provides readers with a unique understanding of the Palestinian people.
Lama Sakhnini’s Deir Al Lauz: Breaks Its Shackles and Embraces the Dream is a story that is both epic in its scope and poetic in its expression. Omar and Basheer take on the quality of an everyman, allowing the reader to more fully comprehend the depth of Palestinian suffering under the Israeli occupation. Despite this inheritance, the people still retain their faith and heritage, a fact made clear in the emotional tale of one family in Deir Al Lauz. Sakhnini weaves their story into that of the history of the land and leaves readers with a feeling of anticipation and hope. Deir Al Lauz: Breaks Its Shackles and Embraces the Dream, written by Lama Sakhnini, is a story which will delight any adult reader with its beautiful prose and mythical background. This work of Palestinian fiction is highly recommended.
