The Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem
Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025, this critically acclaimed Arabic novel invites English readers into the complex lives of Palestinians living in Israel.
What if all the Palestinians in Israel simply disappeared one day?
The Book of Disappearance is set in contemporary Tel Aviv. Alaa is a young Palestinian man who is haunted by his grandmother's memories of being displaced from Jaffa and becoming a refugee in her homeland. His Jewish neighbour and friend, Ariel, is a journalist who believes in Israel's national myth but is critical of the military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. He begins to search for clues about why Alaa and the Palestinians have vanished. Their stories, and the stories of the ordinary people of Jaffa and Tel Aviv, reveal the fissures at the heart of the Palestinian question.
Ibtisam Azem's spare and evocative novel is an unforgettable glimpse into contemporary Palestine as it grapples with both the memory of loss and the loss of memory.
'5 stars. Rich, rewarding, lyrical, and vital. A stunning achievement...Without a doubt, one of the year's best novels.' GLAM Adelaide
'A powerful novel, enduring in the issues it exposes...A novel that will stay in your mind, providing a compelling case for dialogue about a story that is ongoing.' ReadPlus
'I love The Book of Disappearance for its narrative intimacy, for the questions it pose s , and for its unflinching accounts and fierce recriminations of culture, identity and history.' Sarah Ayoub
