Where The Jasmine Blooms - Book Review

Where the Jasmine Blooms by Zeina Sleiman

In this book by Zeina Sleiman, Jasmine is searching. She is searching for escape, away from an abusive soon-to-be-ex husband. She is searching for her identity, as a Palestinian-Canadian. She is searching for family bonds, cut off for unknown reasons. She is searching for answers. Most importantly, what happened to her father?

Once upon a time in Lebanon, she lived with her brother, mother, father. Once upon another time she lived in Canada with her mother, brother. Why?

She decides to travel to Lebanon, to take up a research project through the American University of Beirut, and to take that time to reconnect and contemplate. Once there, she meets up with her cousin, who has had a very different life than hers. Her cousin grew up in a crowded refugee camp in Lebanon, in a "limbo state." Neither Palestinian, because she has no country, nor Lebanese, because they are not allowed to take the Lebanese citizenship. Her cousin is also searching, for herself, her future which appears miserable, and her brother, who has also disappeared.

Throughout the book, Jasmine meets another wanderer/searcher a Korean-Lebanese who takes her back to who she used to be, and makes her question friendship, honesty, the past and present. She meets her aunt and uncle, and sees the stark difference between the two- one in a poor refugee camp, the other in the fancy areas of Beirut with political and financial power.

Jasmine travels for vacation only to be caught in another Israeli bombing.

She recieves strange notes and articles, all of which indicate that her father is in hiding, or was, she doesn't know.

Through the lives of the two cousins, we see the struggle of the Palestinians, an intergenerational trauma with so many unanswered questions. We see the men who are lost- either to gang warfare or to the struggle for Palestinian freedom. We see resiliance, and power as the girls reclaim their right to survive, to exist, to Be.

Wonderfully written, I recommend this book to anyone who would like to see the Palestinian struggle from the eyes of today's youth, and how politics and history has shaped them and their families.