Name of Book: The Sea Cloak & Other Stories
Author: Nayrouz Qarmout
First Edition Year: 2019
Total Pages:192
Publisher: Comma Press
The Sea Cloak & Other Stories is a deceptively short volume – but while the 11 stories initially appear easily digestible, they are likely to leave a sour taste.
Here Qarmout portrays daily life in Gaza, “the world’s largest prison” for a band of mostly female characters.
For anyone looking to experience what constitutes “normal life”, this collection is an introduction to what it feels like to come of age in this charged environment. There are the games played by children, such as “Arabs and Jews”, but also the traditions and heritage of a culture so often misrepresented.
A writer, journalist and women’s rights campaigner, Qarmout doesn’t portray her characters as victims: nor does she shy away from expressing the restrictive realities of her traditional upbringing either.
