Ruba Khoudry wächst in einem christlich geprägten Dorf im Libanon in den 1980ern auf. Der Bürgerkrieg wird immer schlimmer und wird das Dorf von Freund und Feind unter Beschuss genommen. Rubas Vater ist verstört von Erlebnissen, die er zu Beginn des Krieges in Beirut hatte, ihr Bruder kokettiert mit den dem miltärischen Arm der maronitischen Phalange, ihr Onkel hält sich mit dem Schmuggel von archäologischen Schätzen über Wasser. Doch das Mädchen Ruba will nicht wahrhaben, dass die glücklichen Tage ihrer Kindheit nicht mehr wiederkehren sollen...

Abi-Ezzis autobiographischer Roman beschreibt das Leben der einfachen Bürger während des libanesischen Bürgerkrieg. Ihr tägliches Streben nach Frieden, Glück und ihr Versuch in all den Monströsitäten der Gewalt, Religion und Politik zu überleben. Abi-Ezzi gelingt dies in einer schlichten Form aus der Perspektive des Kindes Ruba. Sie verfällt dabei nicht in religiöses oder politisches Lagerdenken. Ihre authentische Schilderung des Mikrokosmos in einem libanesischen Dorf lässt Rückschlüsse auf das Große Ganze zu und ist der Roman historisch authentisch und überaus fesselnd. Abi-Ezzi bietet Einblicke in die dunkleste Zeit des Libanon und offenbart zugleich das stille Glück und die Hoffnungen der einfachen Libanesen. ( )

This is told through the eyes of the young girl of the family. She doesn't always understand what she is seeing, and there's a lot to take in, the family dynamic and the encroaching war. There's a lot to untangle, and I think that the impact of war as both an ever present background and an added complication to growing up is very well portrayed. Things that seem incredible are everyday, as that's just the way life is. The escalation of violence is quite startling, and yet the humanity with which people face it is heartwarming. At the end things have changed, in some ways for the better, despite the situaiton not having improved. ( )

Some years ago at Tim’s Bookshop in Maling Road Canterbury (an excellent destination, BTW, for bookish Ladies Who Lunch), I picked this book up on a whim. I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel from Lebanon before…

A Girl Made of Dust is a semi-autobiographical novel by Nathalie Abi-Ezzi who, like some of the characters in her story, moved to the safety of England in 1983 when Israel invaded Lebanon. She has written the novel from the perspective of an eight-year-old, but overcame my resistance to child narrators with a vivid story. This point-of-view enables the portrayal of the baffled dismay that many of us naïvely feel about religious hatreds, and, sadly, it also shows us how children adapt to living in war zones, and have no concept of living in peace. The novel also raises issues which, since the destruction of cultural artefacts by religious extremists, have become more topical than when the book was published back in 2008.

For Ruba and her older brother Naji, living in the village of Ein Dowra outside Beirut, the civil war means the rumble of shelling in the city, and they do not connect it with her father’s strange behaviour, which readers will recognise as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Papi (Nabeel) sits in his chair for most of the day, saying very little, leaving his shop closed and bringing grave financial and emotional stress to the family. The long-suffering women, (his wife and his mother), have had to make adjustments: they can no longer afford a maid so Mami (Aida) has had to learn to cook and iron (and isn’t very good at either). Mami also has to put up with being patronised by a former friend who takes pleasure in complaining about the servant problem and how difficult it is to pack her many possessions in preparation for her exodus to safety. While all around them families are leaving, Ruba’s friends among them, their family has no money and must take what comes.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2016/05/15/a-girl-made-of-dust-by-nathalie-abi-ezzi/ ( )

Synopsis: Set in Lebanon, 8 year-old Ruba is forced to grow up quickly during the 1982 Israeli invasion. Her father refuses to open the shop and instead sits in his armchair all day, her 10 year-old brother Naji has been acting suspiciously and hanging out with tough older boys and many of her classmates have fled the country.
My Opinion: This is one of those books that does not focus solely on a plot - instead it tells of the day-to-day life of Ruba. It is a quick read and gives an interesting perspective of war from the point of view of an 8 year-old. ( )

SEPTEMBER 2010. Beautifully written fiction with the tragic impact of the Lebanon-Israel 1982 civil war told through the eyes of a 10 year old girl. Such strength of spirit and strong family values displayed by the some of the characters. Very refreshing. ( )