Jasmine Falling is a Refreshing Novel Set in Palestine
By Saadia Faruqi
Recently I have been watching a new trend of novels of the thriller and romance genres set in the Palestine region. For those readers who don’t wish to read only about the occupation, Jasmine Falling by Shereen Malherbe offers a fresh view at an old subject.
This is the story of Jasmine, a British girl with Palestinian roots. After the death of her mother she travels to the occupied territories within Israel to search for her father. There she learns more about her own identity and the faith of her Muslim father. She meets not only family members who haven’t seen since her childhood, but also a mysterious stranger Josh. That Josh has secrets is obvious to us from the first page of his introduction into the story. Is he the hero, or is he not? That’s a question readers will continue to ask.
No such question about Jasmine herself. I love strong, female protagonists and she is everything I had been hoping for. She may need Josh for emotional support (or maybe even some eye candy) but if there is a crisis, she is more than capable of figuring it out on her own. Bravo to the author for foregoing the typical simpering girlish fool I have seen all too often.
Jasmine Falling has a little something for everyone. The history and political buffs will enjoy the descriptions of occupation that permeate everyday life in occupied areas.
After an hour, they approached Jerusalem. The city made her feel claustrophobic. It was segregated by checkpoints and around its perimeter, soldiers stood guard. A winding wall at least eight meters high cut up the city. Barb wire sat atop the grey exposed concrete face, towering above Jerusalem as it is coiled itself around like a hideous snake, entwining through and dividing neighborhoods. Defiant graffiti stained it with declarations of freedom.
“What is that?” said Jasmine.
“It’s a security fence,” he replied.
“Who are they trying to keep out, King Kong?”
Josh laughed nervously, “not quite.”
“It looks like the Berlin Wall to me.”
We follow Jasmine and Josh all over the countryside, from the church sanctuary in Jerusalem to the smallest villages, and much more. Culture lovers will appreciate the descriptions of the street scenes, full of aromas of food and daily Palestinian life.
From the streets, the gates of the Old City loomed in to view. They towered above her with locks clamped on either side of the open doors. A raven squawked from a perch on its walls, the sound splintering through her bones as she entered the maze. Smoke hissed and escaped from kebab shops, shisha smoke blew from the lips of old men, drawn from decorated glass bulbs.
For mystery readers there is a delicious little mystery which caught even myself by surprise. The romance is lighthearted and more suggested than explicit. There are references to the Quran but without any sense of peaching, which is no mean feat for a Muslim writer. I have seen others bogged down with scriptural references, but Malherbe keeps it light and relevant.
On the other hand, I disliked the mention of jinn, only because it seems to be an overused and stereotypical theme in Muslim stories. There are also a few issues with the technical aspects of writing, and a little more drama in the main character’s personality that I would have preferred. But overall this is a solid debut and a meaningful addition to the growing Muslim fiction list. I’m looking forward to reading more from Ms. Malherbe.
Visit the author website here or buy the book here.