Potpourri

Abstract

THE TITLE TO THIS cHAPTER is not a cop-out, really, but it seems like one because in studying Alicia Erian, Randa Jarrar, and Susan Abulhawa I tried and tried but could not find a common theme that might lend itself to a chapter title. Potpourri is not merely a default choice, but an accurate descriptor of the three writers vis-à-vis one another and the range of themes they cover. Each author comes from a distinct background and covers an original set of themes, though there is overlap among their work. Rather than pressing to highlight the overlap that does exist, I focus on some of the poetics and politics that make each of their novels unique. The three novels are also a potpourri because each adheres to (or promotes) a version of history and a social worldview that barely resemble those of the other two authors. They therefore provide readers a solid sense of the stylistic and thematic heterogeneity that exists in modern Arab American fiction. As you might have noticed by this point in the book, the majority of Arab American fiction writers are women (the same is true, by the way, of Arab American playwrights, poets, and critics). It is only appropriate, then, that I end this book by examining the distinct voices of three Arab American women novelists. Copyright © 2011 by Syracuse University Press. All Rights Reserved.