Guapa

A Novel

Fiction & Literature, LGBT, Gay, Literary
Cover of the book Guapa by Saleem Haddad, Other Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Saleem Haddad ISBN: 9781590517703
Publisher: Other Press Publication: March 8, 2016
Imprint: Other Press Language: English
Author: Saleem Haddad
ISBN: 9781590517703
Publisher: Other Press
Publication: March 8, 2016
Imprint: Other Press
Language: English

A debut novel that tells the story of Rasa, a young gay man coming of age in the Middle East

Set over the course of twenty-four hours, Guapa follows Rasa, a gay man living in an unnamed Arab country, as he tries to carve out a life for himself in the midst of political and social upheaval. Rasa spends his days translating for Western journalists and pining for the nights when he can sneak his lover, Taymour, into his room. One night Rasa's grandmother — the woman who raised him — catches them in bed together. The following day Rasa is consumed by the search for his best friend Maj, a fiery activist and drag queen star of the underground bar, Guapa, who has been arrested by the police. Ashamed to go home and face his grandmother, and reeling from the potential loss of the three most important people in his life, Rasa roams the city’s slums and prisons, the lavish weddings of the country’s elite, and the bars where outcasts and intellectuals drink to a long-lost revolution. Each new encounter leads him closer to confronting his own identity, as he revisits his childhood and probes the secrets that haunt his family. As Rasa confronts the simultaneous collapse of political hope and his closest personal relationships, he is forced to discover the roots of his alienation and try to re-emerge into a society that may never accept him.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A debut novel that tells the story of Rasa, a young gay man coming of age in the Middle East

Set over the course of twenty-four hours, Guapa follows Rasa, a gay man living in an unnamed Arab country, as he tries to carve out a life for himself in the midst of political and social upheaval. Rasa spends his days translating for Western journalists and pining for the nights when he can sneak his lover, Taymour, into his room. One night Rasa's grandmother — the woman who raised him — catches them in bed together. The following day Rasa is consumed by the search for his best friend Maj, a fiery activist and drag queen star of the underground bar, Guapa, who has been arrested by the police. Ashamed to go home and face his grandmother, and reeling from the potential loss of the three most important people in his life, Rasa roams the city’s slums and prisons, the lavish weddings of the country’s elite, and the bars where outcasts and intellectuals drink to a long-lost revolution. Each new encounter leads him closer to confronting his own identity, as he revisits his childhood and probes the secrets that haunt his family. As Rasa confronts the simultaneous collapse of political hope and his closest personal relationships, he is forced to discover the roots of his alienation and try to re-emerge into a society that may never accept him.

More books from Other Press

Cover of the book Unlearning with Hannah Arendt by Saleem Haddad
Cover of the book Diderot and the Art of Thinking Freely by Saleem Haddad
Cover of the book Kafka in Love by Saleem Haddad
Cover of the book Like Wind, Like Wave by Saleem Haddad
Cover of the book Diary of the Fall by Saleem Haddad
Cover of the book Rebel Without A Cause by Saleem Haddad
Cover of the book Life is Short and Desire Endless by Saleem Haddad
Cover of the book The Long Path to Wisdom by Saleem Haddad
Cover of the book A Well-tempered Heart by Saleem Haddad
Cover of the book The Order of the Day by Saleem Haddad
Cover of the book Climates by Saleem Haddad
Cover of the book For Two Thousand Years by Saleem Haddad
Cover of the book The Elimination by Saleem Haddad
Cover of the book When the Night by Saleem Haddad
Cover of the book The Travels of Daniel Ascher by Saleem Haddad
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy