A Hero, Charlotte Mendel
A Hero, Charlotte Mendel
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A Hero

Author: Charlotte Mendel

Narrator: Ana Sani

Unabridged: 10 hr 5 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: ECW Press

Published: 07/27/2018


Synopsis

The state war raging outside the home of the Al-Fakhoury extended family, who live in a border town buffeted by the turmoil of the Arab Spring, entwines with the familial conflict raging within. The patriarch of the family, Mohammed, is an aggressive, dominant man who bullies his wife and four children and wages paranoiac diatribes against his sister and her family. It is only when Mohammed leaves for work every morning that the house relaxes into the rich interconnectivity of familial relationships: between Mohammed’s gentle wife Fatima and his sister Rana, who yearns desperately to contribute to their country’s historic fight for freedom; between the twelve-year-old twins and Rana’s gentle son Mazin, whose effeminacy is a source of great anxiety to her. This formidable woman tends her chickens and her garden in the courtyard, sharing the produce with the neighbours and improving the lives of everybody around her, even though she cannot raise a placard with the men. Ahmed, Mohammed’s brother, is an active and passionate participant in the protests, demanding their country’s dictator step down and make way for democracy. When Ahmed is involved in a terrible incident during a demonstration, he wakes up in an underground cavern, surrounded by groaning, dying men stretched out on blankets on the floor, and is stunned by what he discovers there.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Gwen

This is one of my favourite books. It is like being billeted with a family in a Middle Eastern country during the Arab Spring. The characters are truly alive and carrying on their very disparate lives under the same roof, grappling with their own beliefs, gaining wisdom, finding their way through th......more

Goodreads review by Cindy

This is Charlotte's second book that I have read...loved it. I am always totally amazed that an author can evoke so many emotions in their readers. As I read the book I kept changing how I felt about the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to be a fly on the wall and to get a glimpse into an......more

Goodreads review by Eileen

This is a great book about interesting and deep characters. The events unfold and are told through the differing perspectives of these characters, letting us get to know each of them through their thoughts and views of the world around them. It is easy to become invested in the characters. We are ab......more

Goodreads review by Janet

Like Turn Us Again, this novel skillfully uses family dynamics to make a broader point about morality and the choices that define us. I felt myself pulled into the daily life of this family and thought of them as real people rather than fictional characters. Great story that deserves a wide audience......more