REVIEW: Between the Head and the Hands by James Chaarani

When Michael Dawouk is disowned by his Muslim family for being gay, he turns his back on the religion and culture he grew up with. He is forced out onto the street, only to be taken in by a former high school teacher who offers him room and board in exchange for sex.

Michael is soon left with nothing to believe in, until he meets Wyatt, a successful Texan businessman who takes him under his wing. But what Michael can’t see is that his mentor is just as lost as he is. Searching for the connection and belonging he lost when he left home, Michael immerses himself in temporary pleasures ― nights of danger, intrigue, and meaningless sex ― until he begins to crave a kinder form of love.

A powerful, poetic story about losing and finding yourself — this book travels to both ends of the spectrum of belonging from bitterly desperate loneliness to comfort and contentment. Every single page was full of emotion to make something truly touching.

It delves into the painful truths about tradition, religious and generational trauma, self expression and sexuality - all these little things that come together to create our identity and it looks at each of them in a caring, warm lens that makes the reader feel seen.

Michael is a beautiful character — open, honest and vulnerable with a voice that immediately made me care for him. Someone who both knew himself but also had clue who who he was - a youthful naivety and strength in a way that was so relatable and authentic that I could find pieces of myself in the character despite our differences.

The storytelling overall was very conceptual at times- poetic and vividly descriptive. It had that thoughtful, introspective tone that good literary fiction just nails but without the overly flowery language to give a more accessible, friendly tone to the narrative. And even thought it was a little sentence-heavy and jumped between times suddenly and erratically in places it flowed in such a natural way that was subtle and showed snapshots of life in a way that was both mundane and meaningful at the same time.

A beautiful story about self discovery, and the hardship that journey can often bring.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.

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