Evil Eye

‘Filled with completely relatable yearning and achingly beautifully written, Evil Eye is a wonderful, moving and absorbing story of identity and belonging and learning to love yourself. I thought it was excellent’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I loved this book, Yara’s bravery and courage are inspirational. I found myself rooting her on. Yara’s story gave me a deeper understanding of the plight of the Palestinian people or any people forced from their homeland … Cheers to Etaf Rum’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Thought-provoking and emotionally rich storytelling. Etaf Rum's ability to navigate the depths of trauma, prejudice, and cultural identity with sensitivity and grace is truly commendable. This novel will leave you with a profound understanding of the human experience and a renewed sense of empathy’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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The powerful and poignant new novel from the author of the much-loved A Woman is No Man.

Raised in a conservative Palestinian family in Brooklyn, Yara thought she would finally feel free when she married a charming entrepreneur. Now, she has a good job at the local college, and balances that with raising her two daughters and taking care of their home. Yara knows that her life is more rewarding than her mother’s – so why doesn’t it feel like enough?

After Yara responds to a colleague’s racist provocation, she is put on probation at work and must attend mandatory counselling. Her mother blames a family curse for Yara’s troubles, and while Yara doesn’t believe in superstitions, she still finds herself growing increasingly uneasy about falling victim to the same mistakes as her mother.

Yara’s carefully constructed world begins to implode and suddenly she must face up to the difficulties of her childhood, not fully realising how that will impact not just her own future, but that of her daughters too.

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Praise for Etaf Rum:

‘A love letter to storytelling’ New York Times

‘Garnering justified comparisons to Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns … a must-read about women mustering up the bravery to follow their inner voice’ Refinery 29

‘[A] masterfully written story … An absorbing tale of a woman who wants more for her daughters and for herself, it’s a five-star read’ Woman’s Weekly

‘A powerful novel about motherhood, belonging and culture’ Prima

‘A complicated mother-daughter drama that looks at the lasting effects of intergenerational trauma and what it takes to break the cycle of abuse’ Time magazine, ‘The Most Anticipated Books of the Year’

About the author

The daughter of Palestinian immigrants, Etaf Rum was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She has a Masters of Arts in American and British Literature as well as undergraduate degrees in Philosophy and English Composition and taught undergraduate courses in North Carolina, where she lives with her two children. Etaf also runs the Instagram account @booksandbeans and is also a Book of the Month Club Ambassador, showcasing her favourite selections each month.
Her debut novel, A Woman is No Man, was a New York Times bestseller and was published to wide critical acclaim. Evil Eye is her second novel.