Evil Eye

‘Filled with completely relatable yearning and achingly beautifully written, Evil Eye is a wonderful, moving and absorbing story of identity and belonging and learning to love yourself. I thought it was excellent’ Reader review ‘I loved this book, Yara’s bravery and courage are inspirational. I found myself rooting her on. Yara’s story gave me a deeper understanding of the plight of the Palestinian people or any people forced from their homeland … Cheers to Etaf Rum’ Reader review ‘Thought-provoking and emotionally rich storytelling. Etaf Rum's ability to navigate the depths of trauma, prejudice, and cultural identity with sensitivity and grace is truly commendable. This novel will leave you with a profound understanding of the human experience and a renewed sense of empathy’ Reader review * * * The powerful and poignant novel from the author of the much-loved A Woman is No Man. Raised in a conservative Palestinian family in Brooklyn, Yara thought she would finally feel free when she married a charming entrepreneur. Now, she has a good job at the local college, and balances that with raising her two daughters and taking care of their home. Yara knows that her life is more rewarding than her mother’s – so why doesn’t it feel like enough? After Yara responds to a colleague’s racist provocation, she is put on probation at work and must attend mandatory counselling. Her mother blames a family curse for Yara’s troubles, and while Yara doesn’t believe in superstitions, she still finds herself growing increasingly uneasy about falling victim to the same mistakes as her mother. Yara’s carefully constructed world begins to implode and suddenly she must face up to the difficulties of her childhood, not fully realising how that will impact not just her own future, but that of her daughters too. * * * Praise for Etaf Rum: ‘A love letter to storytelling’ New York Times ‘Garnering justified comparisons to Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns … a must-read about women mustering up the bravery to follow their inner voice’ Refinery 29 ‘[A] masterfully written story … An absorbing tale of a woman who wants more for her daughters and for herself, it’s a five-star read’ Woman’s Weekly ‘A powerful novel about motherhood, belonging and culture’ Prima ‘A complicated mother-daughter drama that looks at the lasting effects of intergenerational trauma and what it takes to break the cycle of abuse’ Time magazine , ‘The Most Anticipated Books of the Year’

‘Filled with completely relatable yearning and achingly beautifully written, Evil Eye is a wonderful, moving and absorbing story of identity and belonging and learning to love yourself. I thought it was excellent’ Reader review ‘I loved this book, Yara’s bravery and courage are inspirational. I found myself rooting her on. Yara’s story gave me a deeper understanding of the plight of the Palestinian people or any people forced from their homeland … Cheers to Etaf Rum’ Reader review ‘Thought-provoking and emotionally rich storytelling. Etaf Rum's ability to navigate the depths of trauma, prejudice, and cultural identity with sensitivity and grace is truly commendable. This novel will leave you with a profound understanding of the human experience and a renewed sense of empathy’ Reader review * * * The powerful and poignant novel from the author of the much-loved A Woman is No Man. Raised in a conservative Palestinian family in Brooklyn, Yara thought she would finally feel free when she married a charming entrepreneur. Now, she has a good job at the local college, and balances that with raising her two daughters and taking care of their home. Yara knows that her life is more rewarding than her mother’s – so why doesn’t it feel like enough? After Yara responds to a colleague’s racist provocation, she is put on probation at work and must attend mandatory counselling. Her mother blames a family curse for Yara’s troubles, and while Yara doesn’t believe in superstitions, she still finds herself growing increasingly uneasy about falling victim to the same mistakes as her mother. Yara’s carefully constructed world begins to implode and suddenly she must face up to the difficulties of her childhood, not fully realising how that will impact not just her own future, but that of her daughters too. * * * Praise for Etaf Rum: ‘A love letter to storytelling’ New York Times ‘Garnering justified comparisons to Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns … a must-read about women mustering up the bravery to follow their inner voice’ Refinery 29 ‘[A] masterfully written story … An absorbing tale of a woman who wants more for her daughters and for herself, it’s a five-star read’ Woman’s Weekly ‘A powerful novel about motherhood, belonging and culture’ Prima ‘A complicated mother-daughter drama that looks at the lasting effects of intergenerational trauma and what it takes to break the cycle of abuse’ Time magazine , ‘The Most Anticipated Books of the Year’

An NPR Best Book of the Year "A moving meditation on motherhood, inter-generational trauma and how surface appearances often obscure a deeper truth. . . . A stunning second novel from a writer who set the bar very high with her first!"--Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romantics and Community Board The acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of A Woman Is No Man returns with a striking exploration of the expectations of a Palestinian-American woman, the meaning of a fulfilling life, and the ways our unresolved pasts affect our presents. "After Yara is placed on probation at work for fighting with a racist coworker, her Palestinian mother claims the provocation and all that's come after were the result of a family curse. While Yara doesn't believe in old superstitions, she finds herself unpacking her strict, often volatile childhood growing up in Brooklyn, looking for clues as to why she feels so unfulfilled in a life her mother could only dream of. Etaf Rum's follow-up to her 2019 debut , A Woman Is No Man , is a complicated mother-daughter drama that looks at the lasting effects of intergenerational trauma and what it takes to break the cycle of abuse." -- Time magazine, "The Most Anticipated Books of the Year"

An NPR Best Book of the Year "A moving meditation on motherhood, inter-generational trauma and how surface appearances often obscure a deeper truth. . . . A stunning second novel from a writer who set the bar very high with her first!"--Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romantics and Community Board The acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of A Woman Is No Man returns with a striking exploration of the expectations of a Palestinian-American woman, the meaning of a fulfilling life, and the ways our unresolved pasts affect our presents. "After Yara is placed on probation at work for fighting with a racist coworker, her Palestinian mother claims the provocation and all that's come after were the result of a family curse. While Yara doesn't believe in old superstitions, she finds herself unpacking her strict, often volatile childhood growing up in Brooklyn, looking for clues as to why she feels so unfulfilled in a life her mother could only dream of. Etaf Rum's follow-up to her 2019 debut , A Woman Is No Man , is a complicated mother-daughter drama that looks at the lasting effects of intergenerational trauma and what it takes to break the cycle of abuse." -- Time magazine, "The Most Anticipated Books of the Year"