The Anatomy of Exile

The Anatomy of Exile begins with the saga of the Abadi Family, set in motion by a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story between a Palestinian and a Jew that ends in predictable tragedy. Seeking to mend their shattered lives, the family flees to America, only to encounter further turmoil that threatens to tear them apart.

In the aftermath of the 1967 Six Day War, Tamar Abadi's world collapses when her sister-in-law is killed in what appears to be a terror attack, but is actually the result of a secret relationship with a Palestinian poet. Tamar's husband, Salim, an Arab and a Jew, finds himself torn between his dual identities. Mourning his sister's death, he uproots the family and relocates them to the United States.

As Tamar struggles to preserve the family's Jewish Israeli identity amidst the American "melting pot" culture, a Palestinian family moves into the apartment upstairs. Forced to confront her narrow thinking when her daughter falls in love with the Palestinian son, Tamar becomes determined to separate the two. This sets into motion a series of events that could destroy her relationship with her daughter, her marriage, and the family she has endeavoured to protect.

This powerful debut novel explores Tamar's journey to keep her family intact, to accept love that is deemed taboo, and to grapple with how exile compels us to reshape our identity in unimaginable ways.