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Fiction Anthologies (multiple Authors)

The Lebanese Dishwasher

by (author) Sonia Saikaley

Publisher
Quattro Books
Initial publish date
Apr 2012
Category
Anthologies (multiple authors)
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781926802831
    Publish Date
    Apr 2012
    List Price
    $4.99

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Description

Amir Radi hates washing dishes. When he left Beirut, with a tightly grasped suitcase, he hadn’t expected he’d end up at a Middle-Eastern restaurant with old cooks and dirty dishes. Amir knows his immigrant dream has somehow drowned in foamy dishwater. But one night, he meets Rami and begins to feel less isolated, more hopeful, and closer to overcoming a tragic time in his childhood, something he had tried to leave in Beirut. Set in Montreal and Lebanon, The Lebanese Dishwasher tells the story of one man’s struggle with his past and self-acceptance while burdened with culture and obligation.

About the author

Sonia Saikaley was born and raised in Ottawa to a big Lebanese family. The daughter of a shopkeeper, she had access to all the treats she wanted. Her first book, The Lebanese Dishwasher, co-won the 2012 Ken Klonsky Novella Contest. She has two poetry collections: Turkish Delight, Montreal Winter and A Samurai's Pink House. Her novel The Allspice Bath was awarded the 2020 IPPY Gold Medal for Multicultural Fiction. She is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and the Humber School for Writers. Many years ago, she belly-danced her way across Northern Japan and taught English there, too. She loves eating labneh and cucumber pita sandwiches on hot summer days.

Sonia Saikaley's profile page

Awards

  • Joint winner, Ken Klonsky novella contest

Excerpt: The Lebanese Dishwasher (by (author) Sonia Saikaley)

“YALLAH," MY BOSS SHOUTS, swinging open the kitchen door and placing a few orders with the cooks. “You’re too slow, Amir. Faster. Wash those dishes faster. Yallah.” I plunge my hands deep into the hot water. I hate washing dishes. It makes me think of home. Not that I ever did this mundane task when I lived there. My mother took care of that. Took care of all those domesticated things. I guess you can say we weren’t a progressive Lebanese family, but is there such a thing? Maybe. But not my family. This foamy dishwater, for some strange reason, reminds me of the sea, and how I’d dive off a cliff and swim with all the strength my arms could muster, the white waves pushing against me.

Editorial Reviews

Sonia Saikaley boldly explores themes of personal and political violence in her beautifully written and fast-paced first novella, The Lebanese Dishwasher. This is a love story —and an author— you won’t forget.

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