Velvet (Hoopoe Fiction)

A luscious window into the inner lives of women growing up in a Palestinian camp in Jordan. Do not read in close proximity to Educated, if you’re not well braced for even more heavy domestic abuse. This one is much more expressionistic, however, emphasizing how several of the characters displace their pain through focusing on both memories and details of daily life. (The title is not metaphorical, but refers to several bolts of rich cloth that seamstresses in the story valued.)

NOTE: I won a free eBook copy of this book in PDF format from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers (October 2019).

Huzama Habayeb's literary prose creates an intimate portrait of a woman living in a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan. The alternations between Hawwa's past and present enhance the complexities of her life and of those around her. At times, the intricacies of the past distracted from the pace of the novel, but Habayeb's rich prose compensates for this. The ending, curiously, is both shocking and logical, given everything that came before the novel's conclusion.

I received the book Velvet as an ebook from Library Things Early Reviewer Program. My opinion of the book differs widely from the other reviews written in Library Thing. After reading the first page, I was in despair at having to complete it as my obligation to Library Thing required. The only reason I did not throw this book across the room was because I was reading it on an expensive IPad.
I found the book to be full of misused words, trite analogies and pedantic interminable descriptions. Here is an typical example found in the second paragraph of the book:
"The rain beat down viciously on naked life, its hard drops splitting the rough crust of the earth. Daggers of water pierced the dusty flanks of the ground, thrusting rapidly and show more in quick succession, as if laden with emotion or haunted by ancient sorrow, or filled with deeply buried rancor. "
The author also makes some basic mistakes of storytelling in not establishing the setting and in switching from past to present without indication, resulting in a story line that while sympathetic to the main character, is confusing. The book was published by Hoopoe which publishes books in Afghanistan by Afghani authors. show less

I received a free e-copy of this book in the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program, in exchange for an honest review.

"Velvet" is a moving tale of a woman who was raised in a Palestinian refugee camp, trying to navigate a way from her abusive family upbringing, through an oppressive, loveless arranged/imposed marriage, toward the potential for a mid-life love -- unsure whether she can even recognize love. The book seems lyrically translated, so the emotion it evokes feels powerful and authentic.

The imagery in this book is incredible! The author has a gift with words. I highly recommend this book. It takes you in to a world that is real and often overlooked.
The story is a little repetitive at times but it doesn’t take away from the story.