Turn Us Again

Literature & Fiction

Mendel, Charlotte R.

Genre Fiction

Roseway Publishing

Fiction. Middle Eastern Studies. The state war raging outside the home of the Al-Fakhoury extended family, which lives 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 inter- connectivity of familial relationships: between Mohammed's 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. 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.

A Hero (Inanna Poery & Fiction Series)

Literary

Inanna Publications

When Charlotte is kidnapped by Middle Eastern dictator Kassem, panic is only held at bay by a sardonic Inner Voice, which alternately consoles and condemns. While Kassem appears determined to explain every warlike action, Charlotte attempts to instill humanity in the dictator. Inner Voice's incredulity at such hubris provides much-needed comic relief in an increasingly tense situation, as unbearable loneliness unleashes a storm of unexpected sexual fantasies and complex feelings. When the promised release date comes and goes, Charlotte embarks on a hunger strike, which ultimately brings about a joyful reunion with her family. However, home life quickly disintegrates into another form of confinement, as Charlotte discovers that Kassem had used her for his propaganda, live streaming their interactions online. Media interest drives the introverted writer even further inward; as her ability to function normally deteriorates, Charlotte becomes convinced that her existence is a liability for her children. Ultimately a post-modern fable, the novel cleverly plays with perceptions of truth while exploring the concept of imprisonment, the wider impacts of social media, and challenging widely held assumptions about fame. A Hostage probes Western political naiveté along with novelistic hubris as it, often hilariously, explores the relationship of the individual to society.

A Hostage (Inanna Poetry & Fiction Series)

Humor & Satire

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Mendel, Charlotte R.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Mendel, Charlotte R.