“Being a woman is the greatest curse, you told me once. I must have been six or seven. You said, ‘One day you will understand what I mean’.” This is how New York Times bestselling author Etaf Rum starts her short story, ‘Mother Country’ (2023). The short story was released as part of a Kindle collection consisting of seven stories by different authors titled ‘Good Intentions’, which dissects the highs and lows of mother-daughter relationships. Etaf Rum is a Palestinian-American author whose works revolve around the experience of Middle Eastern women, especially those living in the diaspora — caught between two entirely different cultures. ‘Mother Country’ introduces a nameless daughter: a young Palestinian woman and the eldest of seven siblings. Being a second generation immigrant crammed in a tiny Brooklyn apartment with her entire family, the protagonist wants nothing more than to make her mother’s sacrifice for her and her siblings worth it. So, she does what is expected of her: she gets married, bears children, and spends all her days helping her mother-in-law cook and clean while waiting for her husband to return from work. The protagonist is forced…
Review: ‘Mother Country’ and the Unique Female Arab Protagonists of Etaf Rum
June 10, 2023
