Osama’s grandfather was a hakawati, or storyteller, and the stories of his arrival in Lebanon and of how he earned the name al-Kharrat (the Fibster) interweave with classic tales of Arabia. In these stunningly retold stories, Alameddine reintroduces readers to familiar characters like Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael and the fabled Fatima—a beautiful, intelligent woman who raises herself up through ingenuity and poise. There are also the stories of contemporary Lebanese who have suffered the torments of war for decades and how they carry on with their daily lives in spite of all that insanity.

Osama’s desire to be both one with his family and to leave it all behind for a life in America becomes a tangible, physical struggle throughout the book. His charismatic, vivacious mother visits and charms his American boss without breaking a sweat, in a classic display of Lebanese confidence. Equally confident is Alameddine’s enchanting language. Whether he tells how Fatima outsmarted thieves or how Osama’s cousin lost his mind in the war, the words have a fascinating, lyrical quality, lending the same gravitas to each story. He juggles his many narratives effortlessly, enhancing each with small details from the world they inhabit—caring for pigeons on a rooftop, the way a cold beer tastes after a desert trek. The real hakawati, here, is Alameddine.