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Reviewed by Mansoor Ahmed for Readers' Favorite
Palms and Pomegranates by L.S. Csida is one of those atmospheric novels that really pulls you into its setting—a North African city caught right in the middle of a tug-of-war between ancient traditions and modern hustle. Perin's first week brings everything at once: a violent attack by men at the Casbah mosque after she exchanges a few words with an American tourist, a dinner upset by her brother Nabil's growing arrogance, and a cryptic encounter with a psychiatrist named Dr. Zahara Massi, who hints at stories that need telling and danger attached to them. Meanwhile, Perin's best friend Shereen announces her engagement, fundamentalist pressure on the city is quietly increasing, and her father, the calm, steady center of her world, is on blood pressure medication and choosing his battles carefully.
L.S. Csida’s writing is confident and precise, with a strong sense of place that puts you squarely inside the hammam's steam-filled rooms, the Casbah's narrow alleys, and the family living room where mezze is spread out, and jazz plays on an old stereo. The pace is measured and deliberate, which suits the narrative well. Perin is a genuinely compelling character: sharp, self-aware, and trying hard not to flinch. I was particularly drawn to her relationship with Huda, the housekeeper who raised her, and to the quiet wisdom Huda offers in the kitchen while Umm Kalthoum plays on the radio. Palms and Pomegranates is a novel about a woman who believed she could return home unchanged, and the slow, disorienting realization that neither she nor her home has stayed still.
