An Unnecessary Woman

Loved it. The portrait of a woman, Aaliya, and a city, Beirut, nested inside each other. And through these portraits, Alameddine says many insightful things about aging, war, literature, music, love, friendship, mourning, and family. The writing is at times humorous, at times scathing, at times melancholic, always beautiful. My main reserve is that the literary reference and name-dropping are a little intense, though I'll admit they sit well with Aaliya's character.