WinneroftheCaliforniaBookAwardFinalistfortheNationalBookCriticsCircleAwardFinalistfortheNationalBookAwardBeautifulandabsorbing.”NewYorkTimesAnUnnecessaryWomanisabreathtakingportraitofonereclusivewoman’slate-lifecrisis,whichgarneredawaveofravereviewsandloveletterstoAlameddine’scrankyyetcharmingseptuagenarianprotagonist,Aaliya,acharacteryoucan’thelpbutlove”(NPR).Aaliya’sinsightfulmusingsonliterature,philosophy,andartareinvadedbymemoriesoftheLebaneseCivilWarandhervolatilepast.Asshetriestoovercomeheragingbodyandspontaneousemotionalupwellings,Aaliyaisfacedwithanunthinkabledisasterthatthreatenstoshatterthelittlelifeshehasleft.Here,thegiftedRabihAlameddinehasgivenusanuancedrenderingofonewoman'slifeintheMiddleEastandanenduringodetoliteratureanditspowertodefinewhoweare.Apaeantothetransformativepowerofreading,totheintellectualasylumfromone’scircumstancesfoundinthelifeofthemind.”LAReviewofBooks[Thenovel]throbswithenergy…[Aaliya’s]inventivewaywithwordsgivesunfailingpleasure,nomatterhowdarktheeventsshedescribes,howpainfultheemotionsshereveals.”WashingtonPost