The Parisian

An Arab history

A long, intriguing book detailing some of the key events in Palestine around the First World War from the point of view of Midhat and his family. Midhat is sent to France to become a doctor, but his studies are interrupted by his relationship with Jeanette, his host’s daughter, and eventually he returns to Palestine having been on the periphery of discussions in Paris about Palestinian independence. He is persuaded to marry a local girl on his return and to work in the family business. On the death of his father he learns the business has been passed to another relative and he starts up on his own, has a family, before his business burns down and he learns his father has withheld a letter from Jeanette from him. He goes mad, and spends a long time in institutions while members of his family become involved in guerrilla actions. Eventually he is released from prison and tries to put his life back together, the book ending with a conversation with a French priest who has been secretly helping the British, and who Midhat forgives, much to the priest’s surprise.
The book gives an insight into the lives of Palestinians at home and abroad during this period and I think it is on this level that it works best, although the description of a riot is good too. Midhat’s relations with his father, cousins, wife and Jeanette are all beautifully evoked. Perhaps over long, nevertheless an interesting read.