There is more than one Palestinian story.

For Edward Said, to be a Palestinian was to be an exile. In 1979, he wrote, “Behind every Palestinian lies a good general fact. He once lived in the land called Palestine. It is now no longer his hometown.” However, Said is careful to insist that despite their shared past, But every Palestinian has a unique history and experience. “What I have tried to insist on,” he writes, “is the richness of The riches of the ‘Palestinian question’ are often obscured, ignored or deliberately misrepresented.”

Said’s desire for “richness” in specificity and detail Resist the urge to end conclusive stories about the past. This philosophy is the foundation. Sand CatcherOmar Khalifa’s sharp and funny debut novel, translated from Arabic by Barbara Romain, follows a group of four young Palestinian journalists working for a Jordanian newspaper. Characters identified only as prototypes include two men, Qaid (meaning “leader”) and Cain (“adulter”), and two women, Mutarjima (“translator”) and Khaa’ina (“translator”). “Adulterous woman”) (No one enters. Sand Catcher Called by their real names), the journalists shared that they were the only four people of Palestinian descent who read their newspaper. Tasked with interviewing an old man who was the last known witness of his family in 1948. Basketball playerDuring that time, more than 750,000 Palestinians fled their homes or were expelled by the new state of Israel. From the interview and its ridiculous aftermath Khalifa satirizes the idea of ​​telling your story as a noble pursuit or even a political pursuit. Instead, Sand Catcher Ask what is lost when diverse experiences are reduced to a single, traumatic story.

That kind of flat storytelling—easily packaged and sold—is exactly what journalists hope to extract from the old man. Sand Catcher Held on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of its founding. Basketball playerIn 2018, the novel begins with interviews with four journalists along with “A digital recorder, a document, a smart tablet, a camera, and nineteen questions.” Surrounded by family members, the old man sat quietly, answering the questions carefully crafted by each reporter. Without any response at all, confused. Finally Qaid said. “You cannot imagine that your testimony to the events in Basketball player To be, the world has declared war on the collective memory of the Palestinian people. motherAnd you are the soldier on the right side of this war. We all have a duty to tell our stories to the world so that-” The old man interrupted: “Get out of here, you bastard!–

This explosion may seem shocking. But we soon learn that the old man’s only wish is He “died without being forced to tell anyone about 1948.” He spent his entire life refusing to delve into his past as a national duty. Even the eldest son does not know what happened to his father in 1948; He arranged the interview in hopes that he might finally have the chance to hear his father’s memories. Even though they The old man’s grandson was also curious about his grandfather’s past. Thinking back to the school work he was trying to interview him about. Basketball player–

This sentence became the old man’s only sentence when his family asked about it. Basketball player: Palestine defeated

Read: I am creating an archive to prove Palestine exists.

If the old man’s silence caused his family to be upset and hurt? It will make the reporter angry. This is where Khalifa’s satire is sharpest: journalists begin to play the role of victim. not an invader In the battle to reveal the old man’s memories In the end They think their career is at risk. If they fail The editor threatened He won’t just assign it to other writers. Only attend interviews But it will also create a resulting article about their failures. Editors know what sells: drama.

The reporter had a new intention to let the old man speak. So there was a ridiculous plan. They accused him after Friday prayers and kidnapped his grandson. Using him as a tool to force the old man to talk to them. They are also trying to find the diary he has kept since 1948 in which he recounts his increasing desperation to finish the job. Sand Catcher Darker and more ridiculous. Journalists push boundaries Ignore your conscience and argue (sometimes physically) with each other.

What is behind their insane violence? Journalists are not only motivated by professional ambition; But I also felt that I had a stake in listening to the old man’s story. Because each of them lived in exile. Their hometown is therefore only accessible second hand. Through anecdotes and family memories. For them and others of their generation who had never spent time in Palestine These stories almost become mysterious and obscure the place. This grandson reflects that for him Palestine “has acquired the character of something like a legend. It was both true and unreal at the same time, something he saw every day without ever fully knowing it. It was a mysterious message that he couldn’t read. Even if you can’t read it. A powerful effect on him.”

Journalists have similarly complicated feelings about Palestine. Early in the novel, Khaa’ina asks her colleague “Name one thing in particular. Featured About your connection to Palestine.” The scene shifts from conversation to confession. It reveals the truth that each reporter continues to ponder throughout the story. Qaed admitted that he was still mixing the colors of the Palestinian flag. Mutarjima told the group that this was the first time she had done this. eveningwhich is a traditional Palestinian dish, she burned it “to a crisp.” Khaa’ina recalls that she set her wedding date for the anniversary. Basketball playerWhich she didn’t know until the Palestinian band she hired refused to play. Cain pursues a relationship with a Palestinian woman. Searching for a deep and mysterious connection he imagined he might meet with the woman with whom he lived in the same land. With a polyvocal structure Sand Catcher It refutes the need for one Palestinian story to be told (and sold), instead presenting many stories. About many types of people that has many different relations with Palestine

Read: Naked Despair to Be Seen

But perhaps the most powerful insight of Sand Catcher That is, the call to testify should not replace the right to privacy. The old man calls the reporter a “thief,” decrying their vampire hunger to take something important—his memories—from him. His memory is “Close concerns Something personal And he didn’t want anyone to get close to it. ‘Why not respect the special things left for him from his hometown?’ This grandson said that everyone Whether it was his father who was a journalist Everyone sees the story of his grandfather. “It’s a public record,” not his, but every Palestinian’s. He considers the realities of life that people like to keep to themselves, such as intimate relationships. Embarrassing childhood moments Problems at work But witnesses to important events especially violent events Not given the option to remain silent, for them speaking out has become a moral duty. As Qaid told the old man It is a shared national responsibility to respond to history written by those in power.

In the end, the old man gave the diary in exchange for his grandson. But he understood the last word. When the reporter opened the notebook Each item is the same. The dates are from May 15, 1948 to May 15, 2018, and below it it says “Lost Palestine” Reading Sand Catcher At the end of 2024, as horrifying violence in Gaza and Lebanon continues, It is a painful reminder that each picture Each death recorded representing a person A world of dreams, thoughts, and individual personalities. And, like older people, some of these people may prefer to keep their experiences to themselves. When cruelty becomes normal When the dominant narrative spreads unchecked and uncontested. Often the burden of collective memory falls on individual witnesses—people who Sand Catcher It indicates that there may be a story to be lost in telling.