Book Review DEARBORN Ghessan Zeinnedine

Thank you to the author Ghessan Zeinnedine, publishers Tin House, and thank you as always to NetGalley, for an advance digital copy. All views are mine.



By the time I finished reading this collection, I felt as if I'd made a dozen new friends. The character work here is so rich, and the storytelling surprising and rewarding. I'm quite looking forward to my second read of this collection!

1. "The Actors of Dearborn" - Two Lebonese men, one the child of immigrants and the other living in the US on an expired work visa, use acting to help them deal with their daily pressures.

2. "Speedoman" - A stranger in strange attire arrives at the community pool and grabs everyone's attention-- and their wallets! Top 3!

3. "Money Chickens" - A small business owner finds a curious place to hide his illicit earnings.

4. "Marsaille" - coming soon!

5. "I Have Reason to Believe My Neighbor is a Terrorist" - One woman goes to extremes to intervene on the part of her young neighbor-- pregnant, newly immigrated, and being abused by her husband. Top 3!

6. "Zizou's Voice" - A young creative gets an unexpected break from and unexpected place.

7. "In Memoriam" - A young creative woman creates a small business building online video tributes for families of deceased people, but will this gift be enough to bridge the distance between her and the one she loves? Top 3

8. "Hiyam, LLC." - A Lebonese immagrant married to a white American man reflects on her current marriage and the husband she fled in Lebanon.

9. "Yusra" - Yasir takes advantage of the relative privacy provided by the niqab to explore wearing women's clothing and his own gender expression. 

10. "Rabbit Stew" A Lebonese American man visits his uncle in Lebanon, where they unfortunately bond over a terrible butchering experience.

Rating: 🩲🩲🩲🩲🩲 / 5 speedos
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Aug 1 23
Format: Digital arc, Kindle, NetGalley 
Read this book if you like:
📃 short stories
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 family stories, family drama
🌎 immigrant stories
🏘 neighborhood stories

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