Volume IV Special Issue I January 2024

Name of Author : Anne Joseph

Title of the paper : Narrating Multigenerational Trauma: Postmemory in Susan Abulhawas The Blue between Sky and Water

Abstract: American writer and human rights activist Susan Abulhawas The Blue Between Sky and Water is a poignant account of the trauma of dispossession experienced by Palestinian refugees. Reading this in light of the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Palestine, Susan Abulhawas novel becomes a powerful political commentary. This paper analyses the narrative techniques used in the text and explores how Abulhawa uses Khaleds Lockedin Syndrome, an uncommon disorder that, as a sign, leaves the body paralyzed but the mind conscious. One of the books narrators, Khaled, makes use of the stream of consciousness approach to document his haphazard ideas, indicating the arbitrariness that marks the lives of Palestinian refugees. In the work, one also sees that Khaleds narratorial voice continues to comment on events that preceded and succeeded his lifespan. The persistent narratorial voice serves as a reminder of the loss and trauma endured by Palestinians. His descriptions of the events before his birth are examined through a critical lens of post memory to understand how their generational trauma is passed on and still impacts future generations. In essence, this paper studies Susan Abulhawas The Blue Between the Sky and Water through the lens of post-memory, foregrounding the parallels between the nature of the narratorial voice and the transgenerational trauma experienced by the displaced Palestinian nationals.

Keywords : : memory, postmemory, narratology, refugee studies, identity, intergenerational trauma

DOI :

Page Number : 31-35