March 5, 2021 at 10:53 am
Amidst the harsh, rugged environment of Baqa'a refugee camp in Jordan a Palestinian apprentice seamstress runs her hands across rolls of velvet. Hands that speak of a decaying spirit and up until now have only witnessed the collective loss of the past.
"You cannot imagine anything beautiful in this camp," says Palestinian author Huzama Habayeb. "Velvet represents everything these women love, everything they long for and everything they yearn for in this life."
And so Huzama's third novel
Velvet is named after the luxury material in which protagonist Hawwa finds her escape from the unforgiving daily life of the camp and a husband who, like her father once did, beats her regularly.