Halo of the Moon on Earth
forthcoming in 2027 from Broken Tribe Press
forthcoming in 2027 from Broken Tribe Press
Returning to University of Arizona in 2002 after leaving a toxic relationship promised Hala a fresh start. At the same time, starting therapy and moving back in with her mom again has been overwhelming. When she meets Safeer, a Syrian graduate student, she feels revived and sees the budding romance as a promising chance at love and a way to connect more deeply with her Arab origins. As cultural differences emerge, Hala struggles to balance Safeer's expectations with the need to protect her healing self-esteem. Her mother’s prying and startling disclosures test their relationship further, but navigating the challenges together ultimately brings them closer. Newly engaged in 2005, they resettle in Syria, hopeful about bonding with Safeer’s family there. But tensions rise as his sisters interfere in their personal lives and Safeer fights for permission to leave the country again. This atmospheric and psychologically intimate novel traces Hala’s journey through past and present as she finds her voice and forges the way to her authentic self.
Excerpts of this novel have been published in Eclectica Magazine and Panorama Journal.
Excerpts of this novel have been published in Eclectica Magazine and Panorama Journal.
