SAND-CATCHER by Omar Khalifah

Translated by Barbara Romaine

Laughing through tragedy and trauma is one of the greatest survival mechanisms known to humankind. In this hilarious but searing novel of Palestinian dispossession, four journalists are tasked with interviewing an elderly survivor of the Nakba for a Jordanian newspaper. Problem is, he not only refuses to speak to them but sends them off in a flurry of abuse. Hell bent on getting their story, they try everything from flattery, to bribery to ever-increasing strong-arm tactics. As the stakes get higher the laughs come harder and faster, but so does the discomfort.

In Sand-Catcher, Omar Khalifah has brought us a sharply pitched work of historical insight and political satire. He deftly eschews soapbox lectures, opting instead for crime caper-like antics that belie the deep layering of his engagement with Palestinian history. It is both hilarious and human, and I often found myself pausing to reflect on each of the characters place in a story that was much bigger than their individual experience.

The satire is delivered with such a tightly-clenched fist that when the punchline comes it is delivered straight to the gut. Sure, you will double over but it won’t necessarily be from laughter.

Sand-Catcher by Omar Khalifah (Tr. Barbara Romaine)
Coffee House Press, 2024
173 pages