Synopsis
In 'Relative Taboo', Jerusalem reveals itself not through monuments or headlines, but through the intimate voice of Huriya, a woman shaped by the city’s wounds and its stubborn beauty. What is spoken publicly rarely matches what unfolds in private; what is condemned aloud is often practiced in silence. Between these fractures, Huriya carves out her testimony—of love shadowed by occupation, of desire struggling against suffocation, of a life lived beneath layers of expectation and unspoken rules.
Moving through the Old City’s stone alleys and the neighborhoods beyond its ancient walls, Huriya narrates a Jerusalem trembling with history yet aching under the weight of the present. Her observations—at once tender, ironic, and unsparing—reveal a world where laughter is a form of defiance, where sorrow becomes a daily inheritance, and where a woman’s longing for freedom becomes an act of quiet resistance.
A companion to 'Shabbos Goy' and 'Half Ashkenazi' yet luminous as a standalone work, 'Relative Taboo' forms the second movement in a triptych that captures the pulse of a divided city and the souls who endure it. Through Huriya’s fierce humanity, Aref F. Husseini offers a portrait of Jerusalem as intimate as it is universal—where love and loss, dignity and despair, rebellion and tenderness all coexist in the same breath.
A haunting, courageous novel that transforms the personal into the political, and the political into a profoundly human song.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Search results for Relative Taboo
Stock Image
Relative Taboo (Paperback)
Print on DemandSeller: Grand Eagle Retail, Bensenville, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. There is a thin, invisible thread, stretching across decades, that binds the destinies of women in societies that barter a woman's freedom and life for unwritten laws. In this novel, we meet Huriya, a woman constantly attempting to break free from the shackles of a community that tracks every step women take, judging them from behind the walls of rigid traditions. The story begins with a morning phone call that shatters her solitude, forcing open long-locked boxes of memory to reveal stories spanning seventy years-from the tale of her grandmother, Huriya the Elder, and her brother Ismail in the villages of Jerusalem, to her own complex reality as an educated, rebellious woman living under the weight of occupation and contemporary social shifts.Between the ancient alleys of Jerusalem and the military checkpoints that choke the breath, threads of love, loss, and betrayal intertwine. The narrative moves with a tone that fluctuates between the mystery of beginnings and the inspiration of defiance, raising burning questions about the concept of a "Relative Taboo"-that elastic morality tailored by the powerful to fit their own interests and authority. This is not just a story about marriage, divorce, or political conflict; rather, it is a deep dive into the psychology of Eastern society, and the battle of awareness and freedom that women fight against an inheritance etched into their very bones. Written in a refined, deeply human literary style, the novel steers clear of dry preaching, making the reader a partner in decoding the truth whose other face has long lived in darkness. "When truth has two faces and one of them lives in darkness, freedom becomes a battle that must be taken, never given." This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9782386600968
Stock Image
Relative Taboo
Seller: California Books, Miami, FL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Seller Inventory # I-9782386600968
Stock Image
Relative Taboo
Print on DemandSeller: PBShop.store UK, Fairford, GLOS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Delivered from our UK warehouse in 4 to 14 business days. THIS BOOK IS PRINTED ON DEMAND. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # L0-9782386600968
Buy New
£ 17.01
£ 4.16 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: Over 20 available
Stock Image
Relative Taboo
Seller: Majestic Books, Hounslow, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 407517884
Buy New
£ 29.72
£ 6.50 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 4 available
Stock Image
Relative Taboo (Paperback)
Print on DemandSeller: AussieBookSeller, Truganina, VIC, Australia
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. There is a thin, invisible thread, stretching across decades, that binds the destinies of women in societies that barter a woman's freedom and life for unwritten laws. In this novel, we meet Huriya, a woman constantly attempting to break free from the shackles of a community that tracks every step women take, judging them from behind the walls of rigid traditions. The story begins with a morning phone call that shatters her solitude, forcing open long-locked boxes of memory to reveal stories spanning seventy years-from the tale of her grandmother, Huriya the Elder, and her brother Ismail in the villages of Jerusalem, to her own complex reality as an educated, rebellious woman living under the weight of occupation and contemporary social shifts.Between the ancient alleys of Jerusalem and the military checkpoints that choke the breath, threads of love, loss, and betrayal intertwine. The narrative moves with a tone that fluctuates between the mystery of beginnings and the inspiration of defiance, raising burning questions about the concept of a "Relative Taboo"-that elastic morality tailored by the powerful to fit their own interests and authority. This is not just a story about marriage, divorce, or political conflict; rather, it is a deep dive into the psychology of Eastern society, and the battle of awareness and freedom that women fight against an inheritance etched into their very bones. Written in a refined, deeply human literary style, the novel steers clear of dry preaching, making the reader a partner in decoding the truth whose other face has long lived in darkness. "When truth has two faces and one of them lives in darkness, freedom becomes a battle that must be taken, never given." This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9782386600968
Stock Image
Relative Taboo (Paperback)
Print on DemandSeller: CitiRetail, Stevenage, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. There is a thin, invisible thread, stretching across decades, that binds the destinies of women in societies that barter a woman's freedom and life for unwritten laws. In this novel, we meet Huriya, a woman constantly attempting to break free from the shackles of a community that tracks every step women take, judging them from behind the walls of rigid traditions. The story begins with a morning phone call that shatters her solitude, forcing open long-locked boxes of memory to reveal stories spanning seventy years-from the tale of her grandmother, Huriya the Elder, and her brother Ismail in the villages of Jerusalem, to her own complex reality as an educated, rebellious woman living under the weight of occupation and contemporary social shifts.Between the ancient alleys of Jerusalem and the military checkpoints that choke the breath, threads of love, loss, and betrayal intertwine. The narrative moves with a tone that fluctuates between the mystery of beginnings and the inspiration of defiance, raising burning questions about the concept of a "Relative Taboo"-that elastic morality tailored by the powerful to fit their own interests and authority. This is not just a story about marriage, divorce, or political conflict; rather, it is a deep dive into the psychology of Eastern society, and the battle of awareness and freedom that women fight against an inheritance etched into their very bones. Written in a refined, deeply human literary style, the novel steers clear of dry preaching, making the reader a partner in decoding the truth whose other face has long lived in darkness. "When truth has two faces and one of them lives in darkness, freedom becomes a battle that must be taken, never given." This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9782386600968
Buy New
£ 19.99
£ 37 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Relative Taboo
Print on DemandSeller: AHA-BUCH GmbH, Einbeck, Germany
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. nach der Bestellung gedruckt Neuware - Printed after ordering. Seller Inventory # 9782386600968
Seller Image
Relative Taboo
Print on DemandSeller: preigu, Osnabrück, Germany
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Relative Taboo | Aref F. Husseini | Taschenbuch | Englisch | 2025 | Les éditions El Amir | EAN 9782386600968 | Verantwortliche Person für die EU: Libri GmbH, Europaallee 1, 36244 Bad Hersfeld, gpsr[at]libri[dot]de | Anbieter: preigu Print on Demand. Seller Inventory # 135461350