With a clever first-person narrative, An Unnecessary Woman tells the story of Aaliyah — and Lebanon

? UNDER THE LAMPLIGHT-

An Unnecessary Womanby Rabih Alameddine is the story of Lebanon in disguise.Aaliyah, an aging Lebanese woman who has remained stoic in a world that is going through tumultuous change, decides to share her life story. From her humble beginnings to her impotent marriage (and eventual divorce at 20) and life during the civil war, we see the character of Lebanon transform as she tries to fend for herself and protect her kingdom — an apartment full of her favorite books and Arabic translations of them that she will never publish. The first-person narrative cleverly takes us from epoch to epoch as Aaliyah’s seemingly simple life bears an adventurous interior: From an affair with a civil war general, to defending her home using a gun, through to her managing her difficult relationship with her mother and brothers, we are exposed to Lebanese culture, literary quotes, and moments of high humor.