Book
The true true story of Raja the Gullible (and his mother) / Rabih Alameddine.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780802166470 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: 326 pages ; 22 cm
- Edition: First Grove Atlantic hardcover edition.
- Publisher: New York : Grove Press, 2025.
Search for related items by subject
| Genre: | Gay fiction. Queer fiction. Domestic fiction. Novels. |
Available copies
- 0 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | FIC Alame | 31681010434025 | FICTION | In transit | - |
- Baker & Taylor
"From the inimitable Rabih Alameddine-National Book Award finalist and winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award-comes a tragicomic saga set in Lebanon, a modern story of family, memory, and the unbreakable attachment of a son and his mother. Across his oeuvre, Rabih Alameddine has distinguished himself as a master of the intimate and the political, celebrated for his caustic wit and "compelling, often jarring, blend of cynicism and hope" (The Economist). In this lively new work, Alameddine returns to Beirut-the setting of his breakout novel An Unnecessary Woman-and delivers a compulsively readable story of a winning duo navigating modern life in Lebanon. In a tiny Beirut apartment, sixty-three-year-old Raja and his mother live side by side. A beloved high schoolphilosophy teacher and "the neighborhood homosexual," Raja relishes books, meditative walks, order, and solitude. Zalfa, his octogenarian mother, views her son's desire for privacy as a personal affront. She demands to know every detail of Raja's work life and love life, boundaries be damned. When Raja receives an invite to an all-expenses-paid writing residency in America, the timing couldn't be better. It arrives on the heels of a series of personal and national disasters that have left Raja itching for peace and quiet away from his mother and the heartache of Lebanon. But what at first seems a stroke of good fortune soon leads Raja to recount and relive the very disasters and past betrayals he wishes to forget. Told in Raja's irresistible and wickedlyfunny voice, the novel dances across six decades to tell the unforgettable story of a singular life and its absurdities-a tale of mistakes, self-discovery, trauma, and maybe even forgiveness. Above all, The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) is a wildly unique and sparkling celebration of love"-- - Baker & Taylor
Living with his overbearing mother in Beirut, 63-year-old Raja, a gay philosophy teacher, accepts a writing residency in America hoping for escape, only to confront the personal losses, betrayals, and absurdities that have shaped his life across six turbulent decades. - Perseus Publishing
FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
âAlameddine is a writer with a boundless imagination.ââNPR
From National Book Award finalist and winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction comes a tragicomic love story set in Lebanon, a modern saga of family, memory, and the unbreakable attachment of a son and his mother
In a tiny Beirut apartment, sixty-three-year-old Raja and his mother live side by side. A beloved high school philosophy teacher and âthe neighborhood homosexual,â Raja relishes books, meditative walks, order, and solitude. Zalfa, his octogenarian mother, views her sonâs desire for privacy as a personal affront. She demands to know every detail of Rajaâs work life and love life, boundaries be damned.
When Raja receives an invite to an all-expenses-paid writing residency in America, the timing couldnât be better. It arrives on the heels of a series of personal and national disasters that have left Raja longing for peace and quiet away from his mother and the heartache of Lebanon. But what at first seems a stroke of good fortune soon leads Raja to recount and relive the very disasters and past betrayals he wishes to forget.
Told in Rajaâs irresistible and wickedly funny voice, the novel dances across six decades to tell the unforgettable story of a singular life and its absurditiesâa tale of mistakes, self-discovery, trauma, and maybe even forgiveness. Above all, The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) is a wildly unique and sparkling celebration of love.
