Paradiso 17 by Hannah Lillith Assadi traces the journey of Sufien after his family is displaced from Palestine. The novel, based on the life of the author’s father, asks readers to consider the idea of home as Sufien grapples with life away from his home in Palestine and journeys through Kuwait, Italy, and finally the United States. Even though he was young in 1948 when his family was forced out during the Nakba, he still feels a deep connection to his homeland and struggles to feel a sense of belonging elsewhere.
We know from the beginning that Sufien is dying, and Assadi deftly weaves together his reflections on his life’s journey with Palestinian history, as Sufien tries to make peace with his choices and attempts to find solace in his relationships. As I think about Paradiso 17, I keep coming back to the idea of searching and that so many people fail to find satisfaction because they want more than they have or want to recapture moments that have passed. At one point, Sufien asks, “Why is it we always realize how much we will miss a place on the eve of leaving it?” And he still leaves. He still searches. Ultimately, he must reconcile his hopes with his reality, deciding if the choices he made were worth the costs..
This is a book that will stay with me. It is beautifully written and tells an important story. I can’t recommend it enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.