

Philistia is an ordinary university student with an extraordinary life. She has no idea when her father will be released from prison, and works part-time washing women’s bodies in the ancient Ottoman hammam in Nablus. A midwife and corpse washer in her time, Philistia can't help but reminisce about her late Grandma Zahia, who taught her the ritual ablutions and the secrets of life and death.
In the enthralling darkness of the hamman in occupied Palestine, Philistia falls in love and embarks on a magical journey through her country's history, one of loss and centuries of oppression. As trees are uprooted around her, Philistia searches for a place of refuge, a place where she can plant a memory for the ones she’s lost.
Also available in an Arabic language paperback edition.
- Price: $14.95
- Pages: 96
- Carton Quantity: 20
- Publisher: Neem Tree Press
- Imprint: Neem Tree Press
- Publication Date: 15th December 2019
- Trim Size: 9.4 x 7 in
- ISBN: 9781911107231
- Format: Paperback
- Age: 12-18
- BISACs:
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Romance / Clean & Wholesome
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Family / General (see also headings under Social Themes)
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Diversity & Multicultural
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Historical / Middle East
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Historical / General
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Magical Realism
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Coming of Age
"Trees for the Absentees is a small and simple book, but its story has greater complexities if we wish to find them, and is a thought-provoking read for adults and children alike."—Translating Women
"The translation by Sue Copeland and Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp is accessible, with touches of the original Arabic that help really ground the story in its West Bank setting."—Global Literature in Libraries Initiative
Philistia is an ordinary university student with an extraordinary life. She has no idea when her father will be released from prison, and works part-time washing women’s bodies in the ancient Ottoman hammam in Nablus. A midwife and corpse washer in her time, Philistia can't help but reminisce about her late Grandma Zahia, who taught her the ritual ablutions and the secrets of life and death.
In the enthralling darkness of the hamman in occupied Palestine, Philistia falls in love and embarks on a magical journey through her country's history, one of loss and centuries of oppression. As trees are uprooted around her, Philistia searches for a place of refuge, a place where she can plant a memory for the ones she’s lost.
Also available in an Arabic language paperback edition.
- Price: $14.95
- Pages: 96
- Carton Quantity: 20
- Publisher: Neem Tree Press
- Imprint: Neem Tree Press
- Publication Date: 15th December 2019
- Trim Size: 9.4 x 7 in
- ISBN: 9781911107231
- Format: Paperback
- Age: 12-18
- BISACs:
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Romance / Clean & Wholesome
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Family / General (see also headings under Social Themes)
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Diversity & Multicultural
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Historical / Middle East
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Historical / General
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Magical Realism
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Coming of Age
"Trees for the Absentees is a small and simple book, but its story has greater complexities if we wish to find them, and is a thought-provoking read for adults and children alike."—Translating Women
"The translation by Sue Copeland and Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp is accessible, with touches of the original Arabic that help really ground the story in its West Bank setting."—Global Literature in Libraries Initiative