After 17 years, the narrator and his friend, Ali, meet at Heathrow and
slowly remember their past in a Palestinian camp in Lebanon. Their memories are concentrated on one fatal night when they were with two other friends for the last time, before tragedy struck. But for the narrator, a personal tragedy had occurred much earlier?

Like many other Palestinians, both Ali and the narrator had to leave Lebanon in the mid-1980s, when it became a battleground for local armies - Ali to America, the narrator to London.

But this is not just a story about suffering, it is also about absurd politics
and violence - about a world where tragedy and comedy co-exist.

A poignant story that lingers long after one has finished it.

Very topical, haunting story set in Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon.

About the Author
Samir El-Youssef is Palestinian and was born in Rashidia, a refugee camp in Lebanon. His essays and reviews have appeared in Guardian, New Statesman, Washington Post, Jewish Quarterly as well as the Arabic Al-Hayat. He has been living in North London since 1990. In 2005 he won the Tucholsky Award for promoting the cause of peace and freedom of speech in the Middle East. The Illusion of Return is his first novel in English. The Illusion of Return was very well and widely reviewed and El-Youssef made many appearances at festivals, gave library readings and radio and newspaper interviews. So far it has been sold to the US and Germany.


Book Information
ISBN 9781905559077
Author Samir El-Youssef
Format Paperback
Page Count 160
Imprint Peter Halban Publishers Ltd
Publisher Peter Halban Publishers Ltd
Weight(grams) 156g
Dimensions(mm) 199mm * 140mm * 12mm