Against the Loveless World

Locked in solitary confinement, Nahr spends her days tracing the winding path that brought her to a prison cell in a land she barely knows. Born in 1970s Kuwait to Palestinian refugee parents, she once dreamed of love, family, and opening her own beauty salon. But life had other plans.

After a failed marriage leaves her heartbroken and destitute, Nahr is pushed into survival mode—navigating poverty, displacement, and war. The U.S. invasion of Iraq forces her into exile once again, echoing her parents’ own flight. Her journey takes her through Jordan and ultimately to Palestine, where she finally finds love, a sense of home, and a defiant purpose—only to be caught in the brutal reality of Israeli occupation.

Told with biting humor and unflinching honesty, Against the Loveless World offers a complex, unforgettable portrait of a woman shaped by injustice but never defined by it. Perfect for readers of My Sister, the Serial Killer and Her Body and Other Parties, this novel cements Susan Abulhawa’s voice as one of rare power—rich, darkly witty, and profoundly human.

Arab American Book Award Winner. 2020 Palestine Book Awards Winner