You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat
Set between the US and the Middle East, this is an electrifying coming-of-age story about love, identity and sexual desire against the backdrop of traditional values and religious views.
A wonderfully written queer coming-of-age story * i newapaper *
Navigating queerness, bisexuality, love, and addiction, this captivating story takes readers on a journey to find two of the things we all long for the most: love, and a place we can call homeIf you're looking for a captivating, first-person read, this really is one you don't to want to miss * Happiful *
Switching between New York, Beirut, Florence, Washington DC and the West Bank, You Exist Too Much takes you on a dizzying tour of love addiction, rehab, homophobia, betrayal, obsession and the aching need for a mother's unconditional love. At different times throughout, you'll find the protagonist needy, reckless and selfish but also smart, intuitive and trapped between two cultures - because as we all know, humans are nothing if not complicated. Roxane is right: this deserves five stars * Stylist *
The first-person narrator has a distinctive voice and is a magnetic presence on the page; the scenes with her mother are electric . . . A nuanced, sparky debut * Observer *
Powerful . . . With You Exist Too Much, Arafat announces herself as a provocative and insightful writer * Irish Times *
A wonderful illustration of how our most significant formative relationships can be simultaneously the most positive and negative force in our lives -- The Arts Desk
Real, non-fetishised bisexual characters can be few and far between in literature, but You Exist Too Much isn't just worth reading for its efforts in representation. It's a stunning debut . . . It's a devastating portrayal of what it's like to feel as though you never fit in - both in terms of the narrator's sexuality and racial identity. Arafat handles these weighty topics with real compassion * Press Association *
Arafat's writing is fresh, witty and packs a heavy punch * The Skinny *
An elegantly written debut . . . a thought-provoking exploration of love and belonging, and how the two come together to create a sense of self * New European *
A stunning debut . . . Arafat handles . . . weighty topics with real compassion * Scotsman *
You Exist Too Much is a first novel that is exquisitely written and crafted with a compelling lightness of touch * Living Magazine *
Navigating queerness, bisexuality, love, and addiction, this captivating story takes readers on a journey to find two of the things we all long for the most: love, and a place we can call homeIf you're looking for a captivating, first-person read, this really is one you don't to want to miss * Happiful *
Switching between New York, Beirut, Florence, Washington DC and the West Bank, You Exist Too Much takes you on a dizzying tour of love addiction, rehab, homophobia, betrayal, obsession and the aching need for a mother's unconditional love. At different times throughout, you'll find the protagonist needy, reckless and selfish but also smart, intuitive and trapped between two cultures - because as we all know, humans are nothing if not complicated. Roxane is right: this deserves five stars * Stylist *
The first-person narrator has a distinctive voice and is a magnetic presence on the page; the scenes with her mother are electric . . . A nuanced, sparky debut * Observer *
Powerful . . . With You Exist Too Much, Arafat announces herself as a provocative and insightful writer * Irish Times *
A wonderful illustration of how our most significant formative relationships can be simultaneously the most positive and negative force in our lives -- The Arts Desk
Real, non-fetishised bisexual characters can be few and far between in literature, but You Exist Too Much isn't just worth reading for its efforts in representation. It's a stunning debut . . . It's a devastating portrayal of what it's like to feel as though you never fit in - both in terms of the narrator's sexuality and racial identity. Arafat handles these weighty topics with real compassion * Press Association *
Arafat's writing is fresh, witty and packs a heavy punch * The Skinny *
An elegantly written debut . . . a thought-provoking exploration of love and belonging, and how the two come together to create a sense of self * New European *
A stunning debut . . . Arafat handles . . . weighty topics with real compassion * Scotsman *
You Exist Too Much is a first novel that is exquisitely written and crafted with a compelling lightness of touch * Living Magazine *
Zaina Arafat is a Palestinian American writer and the author of the novel You Exist Too Much, which won a 2021 Lambda Literary Award and was named Roxane Gay's 'favourite book of 2020'. Her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Granta, Guernica, Harper's Bazaar, The Believer, Vice and BuzzFeed. She has received fellowships from the Hawthornden Foundation and Jack Jones Literary Arts, and was named a Champion of Pride by The Advocate. She is a professor at Hunter College and also teaches at Barnard College. She lives with her family in New York.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780349701776 |
| ISBN 10 | 0349701776 |
| Title | You Exist Too Much |
| Author | Zaina Arafat |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Dialogue |
| Year published | 2021-11-18 |
| Number of pages | 272 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |