An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine is a rich tale of an aging woman who is battling many internal struggles as she goes through a late-life crisis. Aaliya Saleh (who describes herself as "my family's appendix, its unnecessary appendage") is an obsessive recluse and the novel paints a stunning portrait of her lonely life in Beirut through her memories and observations of her chaotic past, including living through the Lebanese Civil War. Aaliya has a strong passion for literature and fills her time by translating her favorite novels into Arabic. Like Aaliya, the translated books are tucked away in her apartment, away from all. They have never been read by another person.
An Unnecessary Woman received a starred review from Booklist: "the richness here is in Aaliya's first-person narration, which veers from moments in her life to literature to the wars that have wracked her beloved native city during her lifetime. Studded with quotations and succinct observations, this remarkable novel by Alameddine (The Hakawati, 2008) is a paean to fiction, poetry, and female friendship. Dip into it, make a reading list from it, or simply bask in its sharp, smart prose."
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