You Exist Too Much

You Exist Too Much is a debut novel by Zaina Arafat, published June 9, 2020 by Catapult. The book won the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Fiction in 2021.[1]

You Exist Too Much
AuthorZaina Arafat
LanguageEnglish
GenreLiterary fiction
PublisherCatapult
Publication date
June 9, 2020
Media typePrint (hardcover, paperback), Audio
ISBN9781948226509

Reception

You Exist Too Much received positive reviews from the Los Angeles Review of Books,[2] The San Francisco Book Review,[3] Washington Independent Review of Books,[4] NPR,[5] The Irish Times,[6] and Publishers Weekly.[7]

NPR's Gabino Iglesias wrote that You Exist Too Much is "a perfect example of how culture and family can affect those whose lives span different realities."[5]

Sarah Mills, writing for the Los Angeles Review of Books, called it "[a]n unpretentious read," saying, "[W]hat the novel lacks in richness and layers, it makes up for in accessibility and honesty, steering clear of the stereotypes that so often plague characters from a Middle Eastern background."[2]

The Washington Independent Review's Antoaneta Tileva said it is "an engrossing character study of a young, bisexual Palestinian American woman. Much more than an exploration of intersecting lines and identities, the debut novel revels in their clouding."[4]

Kirkus,[8] The Washington Post,[9] New York Times Book Review,[10] and Booklist[11] provided mixed reviews.

Kirkus called the book "uneven,"[8] a sentiment echoed in Publishers Weekly's review,[7] though they agreed the novel was "intriguing."

Booklist's Terry Hong said, "Debuting novelist Arafat’s damaged cast might resonate with untethered millennials, but utmost patience is a must."[11]

In 2021, You Exist Too Much won the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Fiction.[1]

References
  1. Gentes, Brian (2021-06-02). "2021 Lambda Literary Award Winners Announced". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  2. Mills, Sarah (2020-06-15). "A Quest for a Mother: The Infinite Pursuit of Possibility in Zaina Arafat's "You Exist Too Much"". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  3. Littell, Margo Orlando (2020-11-25). "You Exist Too Much: A Novel". San Francisco Book Review. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  4. Tileva, Antoaneta (2020-12-29). "You Exist Too Much: A Novel". Washington Independent Review of Books. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  5. Iglesias, Gabino (2020-06-11). "'You Exist Too Much' Exists In A Constant State Of Discontent". NPR. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  6. Gilmartin, Sarah. "You Exist Too Much: A provocative and insightful debut". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  7. Arafat, Zaina (9 June 2020). Fiction Book Review: You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat. Catapult, $26 (272p). PublishersWeekly.com. ISBN 978-1-948226-50-9. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  8. "You Exist Too Much". Kirkus Reviews. March 29, 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  9. Parssinen, Keija (2020-06-08). "Review | In Zaina Arafat's 'You Exist Too Much,' a child of the Palestinian diaspora tries to heal the psychic wounds passed down by her mother". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  10. Al-Shawaf, Rayyan (2020-11-24). "Queer Exile: Three Novels About Émigrés, Lovers and Family". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  11. You Exist Too Much. 2020-06-01. Retrieved 2022-01-10 – via Booklist.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.