Book Review:
The Djinn’s Apple
by Djamila Morani
translated by Sawad Hussain
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
The Djinn’s Apple is an English PEN Translates Award-winning YA novel that blends historical and crime fiction. It is written by Algerian author Djamila Morani and translated from Arabic by multi-award-winning translator Sawad Hussain.
Synopsis
When Nardeen’s home is stormed by angry men frantically in search of something—or someone—she is the only one who manages to escape. After the rest of her family is left behind and murdered, Nardeen sets out on an unyielding mission to bring her family’s killers to justice, regardless of the cost…
Review
The Djinn’s Apple is a murder mystery set in the Abbasid period— the same period that inspired the 1001 Nights stories— with themes of love, loss, and political intrigue.
As a reader, it is rare to come across a crime fiction set in the golden era of the Abbasid period that gleams with West Asian flavours of scenic beauty and history. The protagonist, Nardeen, is a character that readers cannot help but root for from start to end. Despite being unable to escape her ill-fated night and being unable to see her family again, she finds her path by finding education and love as the perfect equaliser against her enemies.
The story flows smoothly, drawing readers to the old charms of medicinal intrigue. I read the book in one sitting, and there is a constant urge or reading it over and over again in a garden where I can feel the Neem and basil in the air, breathe in herbs and witness the blooming and wilting of flowers. The book is full of fragrances that dare you to sharpen your mind and grasp the essence of everything around you, including the essence of people.
The political turmoil of the time captured in the story is intricate, with a concrete explanation of what it is to be a political victim.
Excerpts:
“In politics, there’s no thought spared for blood or friendship. In politics, there’s one goal only, one duty, and one truth—protect and preserve the caliphate. It may seem unjust now, but people will learn, even if it is later, that the most painful decisions in politics are the most necessary ones.“
Nardeen tries to reason everything, and it is emotional yet very relatable to read when she thinks that her will to get an education in Bimaristan must have cost her family.
Excerpt:
“Or was it that the Bimaristan wanted me so much, that it removed all obstacles from a Baramika girl entering, even if her family had to die in the process?“
The Baramika and their astonishing rise and fall were first introduced to me in a general history textbook years ago, and it was good to revisit the history in mainstream literature.
The Djinn’s Apple will be released on May 7th, 2024 (tomorrow). It is a short and flawless read that will hook the readers until the end and rattle with its ending. Djamila Morani deserved applause for bringing the education of women and the struggle against obscurantism in the world of literature in challenging times such as this. Sawad Hussain is flawless in her work as the translator of the story.
#YoungAdultFiction #HistoricalFiction #Crime #Mystery #Family
Djamila Morani is an Arabic-speaking Algerian novelist and a professor of Arabic language and literature. She writes a fast-paced historical set in the Abbasid period—the golden age of Baghdad. Djamila lives in Relizane, in the west of Algeria.
Sawad Hussain is an Arabic-to-English translator whose work has been recognized by English PEN, the Anglo-Omani Society, and the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, among others. She is a judge for the Palestine Book Awards and the 2023 National Translation Award. She has run translation workshops under the auspices of Shadow Heroes, Africa Writes, the Shubbak Festival, the Yiddish Book Center, the British Library, and the National Centre for Writing. Sawad has been selected to be the Princeton Translator in Residence in 2025.
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Ananke’s Editorial Manager Pakistan, Nuzhat Nisar is an academic writer, editor, and translator. With over ten years of editorial experience, she is currently associated with Paramount Books as an editor, working on school textbooks and curricula. She studied Urdu, Mass Communication, and Education at the University of Karachi and has a Master’s degree in Political Science. She believes in promoting regional languages and equal opportunities in education and an avid supporter of equal rights for women. She also contributes to digital platforms as an independent journalist.
