![]() ![]() How to Become a Westerner follows the transformation of an ophthalmologist whose husband has been disappeared in How to Rob an Armenian Jewelry Store a boisterous father from Damascus claims he fled town to avoid being conscripted to rob said store – Mina and friends are sure he’s lying. Many of the book’s short chapters are self-contained vignettes. Sumaiya’s tale is representative of Alameddine’s portrayal of the refugee stories: plain, unflinching and deeply observed, without being sentimental or cloying. ![]() Mina’s relationship with Sumaiya deepens as she attempts surreptitiously to provide her with palliative care. Loosely driving the plot forward is the story of Sumaiya, a mother of three who arrives in Lesbos attempting to keep her liver cancer a secret, both from her family and from the authorities who might send her back. Mina is a thoughtful narrator, and the book interweaves her story with those of the unnamed writer and the refugees she encounters, making the novel a rolling triptych of sorts. ![]()
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