The Locust and the Bird: My Mother's Story

Hanan Al-Shaykh reconstructs the life of her mother, Kamila, a woman born into a restrictive society in southern Lebanon. Through interviews and memories, Al-Shaykh uncovers the secret, lifelong love affair that defined her mother’s existence despite her unhappy marriage. This account offers a look at the personal cost of tradition and the quiet rebellion of a woman seeking agency in a world that denied it to her.