Author- Rabih Alameddine, Lebanese writer and artist based in San Francisco.

A novel written entirely in first chapters.

Autobiography of a Lebanese woman named Sarah Nour El Din. Named by her grandfather after “the Divine” Sarah Bernhardt.

She has a disturbed childhood, with her parents separating, a strict stepmother, and the civil war ravaging Beirut. The favourite child of the family, she leads a rebellious life, finding pleasure in doing things others cannot think of.

Then, as she grows older, she realises the fragility of life. Two failed marriages, loss of a son, untimely death of one sister and the imprisonment of another.

One of the most unique, and beautiful books I have read.