
Behind You Is the Sea
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Rasha Zamamiri
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Ali Nasser
About this listen
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 PEN/FAULKNER AWARD
""A beautiful portrait of a family reaching for their dreams while holding on to their roots.""—Publishers Weekly
""Each chapter reads like a small masterpiece.""—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
An exciting debut novel that gives voice to the diverse residents of a Palestinian American community in Baltimore—from young activists in conflict with their traditional parents to the poor who clean for the rich—lives which intersect across divides of class, generation, and religion.
Funny and touching, Behind You Is the Sea brings us into the homes and lives of three main families—the Baladis, the Salamehs, and the Ammars—Palestinian immigrants who’ve all found a different welcome in America.
Their various fates and struggles cause their community dynamic to sizzle and sometimes explode: The wealthy Ammar family employs young Maysoon Baladi, whose own family struggles financially, to clean up after their spoiled teenagers. Meanwhile, Marcus Salameh confronts his father in an effort to protect his younger sister for “dishonoring” their name. Only a trip to Palestine, where Marcus experiences an unexpected and dramatic transformation, can bridge this seemingly unbridgeable divide between the two generations.
Behind You Is the Sea faces stereotypes about Palestinian culture head-on and, shifting perspectives to weave a complex social fabric replete with weddings, funerals, broken hearts, and devastating secrets.
©2024 Susan Muaddi Darraj (P)2024 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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Though they look like any other family, they aren’t one—not quite. They are three sets of parents who find themselves intertwined after adopting four biological siblings, having committed to keeping the children as connected as possible. At the heart of the family, the adoptive mothers grapple to define themselves and their new roles. Tabitha, who adopted the twins, crowns herself planner of the group, responsible for endless playdates and holidays, determined to create a perfect happy family.
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What is a family?
- By Barbara S on 07-27-22
By: Eleanor Brown
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Others Were Emeralds
- A Novel
- By: Lang Leav
- Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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The daughter of Cambodian refugees, Ai grew up in the small Australian town of Whitlam populated by Asian immigrants who once fled war-torn countries to rebuild their shattered lives. It is now the late '90s and despite their parents' harrowing past, Ai and her tightknit group of school friends: charismatic Brigitte, sweet, endearing Bowie, shy, inscrutable Tin, and politically minded Sying, lead seemingly ordinary lives, far removed from the unimaginable horrors suffered by their parents.
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Deliberate and poignant
- By Storytellersrus on 11-01-23
By: Lang Leav
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Days of Wonder
- A Novel
- By: Caroline Leavitt
- Narrated by: Xe Sands, Stephanie Willing, Steve Quinn
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
As a teenager, for a moment, Ella Fitchburg found love—yearning, breathless love—that consumed both her and her boyfriend, Jude, as they wandered the streets of New York City together. But her life was unexpectedly upended when she was accused of trying to murder Jude’s father, an imperious superior court judge, and sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. When she learns she’s pregnant shortly after sentencing, she reluctantly decides to give up the child. Ella is released after serving six years. While she is desperate to turn the page on a new life, she can’t seem to let go of her past.
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Love Caroline Leavitt’s work!
- By Writer Gal on 05-17-24
By: Caroline Leavitt
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Hope and Glory
- A Novel
- By: Jendella Benson
- Narrated by: Kelechi Okafor
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Glory Akindele returns to London from her seemingly glamorous life in LA to mourn the sudden death of her father, only to find her previously close family has fallen apart in her absence. Her brother, Victor, is in jail and won’t speak to her because she didn’t come home for his trial. Her older sister, Faith, once a busy career woman, appears to have lost her independence and ambition, and is instead channeling her energies into holding together a perfect suburban family.
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Great book, ending left me wanting more
- By Jessica Cofield on 08-05-22
By: Jendella Benson
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Moth
- A Novel
- By: Melody Razak
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Delhi, 1946. Fourteen-year-old Alma is soon to be married despite her parents’ fear that she is far too young. But times are perilous in India, where the country’s long-awaited independence from the British empire heralds a new era of hope—and danger. In its wake, political unrest ripples across the subcontinent, marked by violent confrontations between Hindus and Muslims. The conflict threatens to unravel the rich tapestry of Delhi—a city where different cultures, religions, and traditions have co-existed for centuries.
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The narration is painful
- By Anonymous User on 08-13-22
By: Melody Razak
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Crow Talk
- A Novel
- By: Eileen Garvin
- Narrated by: Helen Laser
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Frankie O’Neill and Anne Ryan would seem to have nothing in common. Frankie is a lonely ornithologist struggling to salvage her dissertation on the spotted owl following a rift with her advisor. Anne is an Irish musician far from home and family, raising her five-year-old son, Aiden, who refuses to speak. When Frankie finds an injured baby crow in the forest, little does she realize that the charming bird will bring all three lost souls—Frankie, Anne, and Aiden—together on a journey toward hope, healing, and rediscovering joy.
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Good Read Based in the Columbia Gorge
- By flowermama on 11-09-24
By: Eileen Garvin
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Any Other Family
- By: Eleanor Brown
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, Lindsey Dorcus, Sean Patrick Hopkins, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Though they look like any other family, they aren’t one—not quite. They are three sets of parents who find themselves intertwined after adopting four biological siblings, having committed to keeping the children as connected as possible. At the heart of the family, the adoptive mothers grapple to define themselves and their new roles. Tabitha, who adopted the twins, crowns herself planner of the group, responsible for endless playdates and holidays, determined to create a perfect happy family.
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What is a family?
- By Barbara S on 07-27-22
By: Eleanor Brown
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Others Were Emeralds
- A Novel
- By: Lang Leav
- Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The daughter of Cambodian refugees, Ai grew up in the small Australian town of Whitlam populated by Asian immigrants who once fled war-torn countries to rebuild their shattered lives. It is now the late '90s and despite their parents' harrowing past, Ai and her tightknit group of school friends: charismatic Brigitte, sweet, endearing Bowie, shy, inscrutable Tin, and politically minded Sying, lead seemingly ordinary lives, far removed from the unimaginable horrors suffered by their parents.
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Deliberate and poignant
- By Storytellersrus on 11-01-23
By: Lang Leav
-
Days of Wonder
- A Novel
- By: Caroline Leavitt
- Narrated by: Xe Sands, Stephanie Willing, Steve Quinn
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a teenager, for a moment, Ella Fitchburg found love—yearning, breathless love—that consumed both her and her boyfriend, Jude, as they wandered the streets of New York City together. But her life was unexpectedly upended when she was accused of trying to murder Jude’s father, an imperious superior court judge, and sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. When she learns she’s pregnant shortly after sentencing, she reluctantly decides to give up the child. Ella is released after serving six years. While she is desperate to turn the page on a new life, she can’t seem to let go of her past.
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Love Caroline Leavitt’s work!
- By Writer Gal on 05-17-24
By: Caroline Leavitt
-
Hope and Glory
- A Novel
- By: Jendella Benson
- Narrated by: Kelechi Okafor
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Glory Akindele returns to London from her seemingly glamorous life in LA to mourn the sudden death of her father, only to find her previously close family has fallen apart in her absence. Her brother, Victor, is in jail and won’t speak to her because she didn’t come home for his trial. Her older sister, Faith, once a busy career woman, appears to have lost her independence and ambition, and is instead channeling her energies into holding together a perfect suburban family.
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Great book, ending left me wanting more
- By Jessica Cofield on 08-05-22
By: Jendella Benson
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Moth
- A Novel
- By: Melody Razak
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Delhi, 1946. Fourteen-year-old Alma is soon to be married despite her parents’ fear that she is far too young. But times are perilous in India, where the country’s long-awaited independence from the British empire heralds a new era of hope—and danger. In its wake, political unrest ripples across the subcontinent, marked by violent confrontations between Hindus and Muslims. The conflict threatens to unravel the rich tapestry of Delhi—a city where different cultures, religions, and traditions have co-existed for centuries.
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The narration is painful
- By Anonymous User on 08-13-22
By: Melody Razak
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Crow Talk
- A Novel
- By: Eileen Garvin
- Narrated by: Helen Laser
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Frankie O’Neill and Anne Ryan would seem to have nothing in common. Frankie is a lonely ornithologist struggling to salvage her dissertation on the spotted owl following a rift with her advisor. Anne is an Irish musician far from home and family, raising her five-year-old son, Aiden, who refuses to speak. When Frankie finds an injured baby crow in the forest, little does she realize that the charming bird will bring all three lost souls—Frankie, Anne, and Aiden—together on a journey toward hope, healing, and rediscovering joy.
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Good Read Based in the Columbia Gorge
- By flowermama on 11-09-24
By: Eileen Garvin
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Oye
- A Novel
- By: Melissa Mogollon
- Narrated by: Elena Rey
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Luciana is the baby of her large Colombian American family. And despite usually being relegated to the sidelines, she now finds herself the voice of reason in the middle of their unexpected crisis. Her older sister, Mari, is away at college and reduced to a mere listening ear on the other end of their many phone calls, so when South Florida residents are ordered to evacuate before a hurricane, it’s up to Luciana to deal with her eccentric grandmother, Abue, who’s refusing to leave. But the storm isn’t the only danger.
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Family
- By Vicki L. Wright on 08-31-24
By: Melissa Mogollon
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The Queen of Fourteenth Street
- By: Barrie Kreinik
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik, Orlagh Cassidy, Imani Jade Powers, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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New York City, 1932: Eva Le Gallienne is trying to save her theatre company from the jaws of the Depression by mounting an innovative new production of Alice in Wonderland. She agrees to give a radio interview for the sake of publicity, but while revisiting the moments that shaped her career, she struggles with the need to keep a significant secret: she and her leading lady are in love. As Eva’s work careens toward catastrophe, she fights to preserve her dream of a people’s theatre—but will she destroy the people she loves in the process?
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An immersive and compelling audiobook drama
- By Audiobook Fanatic on 09-16-24
By: Barrie Kreinik
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Sea Change
- A Novel
- By: Gina Chung
- Narrated by: Jeena Yi
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Ro is stuck. She's just entered her thirties, she's estranged from her mother, and her boyfriend has just left her to join a mission to Mars. Her days are spent dragging herself to her menial job at the aquarium, and her nights are spent drinking sharktinis (Mountain Dew and copious amounts of gin, plus a hint of jalapeño). With her best friend pulling away to focus on her upcoming wedding, Ro's only companion is Dolores, a giant Pacific octopus who also happens to be Ro's last remaining link to her father, a marine biologist who disappeared while on an expedition when Ro was a teenager.
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Had me cryin cooking dinner
- By Sophia capaldi on 03-05-25
By: Gina Chung
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The Ocean Above Me
- A Novel
- By: Kevin Sites
- Narrated by: Graham Halstead
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Former war correspondent Lukas Landon is alone, trapped under 150-feet of water in an overturned shrimp trawler at the bottom of the ocean. The only thing keeping him alive is an air bubble in the ship’s bow. But the water level is rising, and time is running out. Landon doesn’t know if he will survive . . . or if he even deserves to.
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Boring
- By Amazon Customer on 04-22-24
By: Kevin Sites
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The Great Reclamation
- A Novel
- By: Rachel Heng
- Narrated by: Windson Liong
- Length: 15 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Ah Boon is born into a fishing village amid the heat and beauty of twentieth-century coastal Singapore in the waning years of British rule. He is a gentle boy who is not much interested in fishing, preferring to spend his days playing with the neighbor girl, Siok Mei. But when he discovers he has the unique ability to locate bountiful, movable islands that no one else can find, he feels a new sense of obligation and possibility—something to offer the community and impress the spirited girl he has come to love.
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Fantastic historic fiction, and a change of pace
- By Geonn Cannon on 04-12-23
By: Rachel Heng
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Lola in the Mirror
- A Novel
- By: Trent Dalton
- Narrated by: Victoria Graves
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
A girl and her mother have been on the run for sixteen years, from the monster they left in their kitchen with a knife in his throat and the police who want to make them pay for his death. Home is now a van with four flat tires in a junkyard by the edge of the Brisbane River. The girl has no name, because names are dangerous when you're on the run. But she has a dream.
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Trent Dalton is a Titan of Literature
- By Brianna Blacet on 09-28-24
By: Trent Dalton
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Glory
- A Novel
- By: NoViolet Bulawayo
- Narrated by: Chipo Chung
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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NoViolet Bulawayo’s bold new novel follows the fall of the Old Horse, the long-serving leader of a fictional country, and the drama that follows for a rumbustious nation of animals on the path to true liberation. Inspired by the unexpected fall by coup in November 2017 of Robert G. Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president of nearly four decades, Glory shows a country's imploding, narrated by a chorus of animal voices that unveil the ruthlessness required to uphold the illusion of absolute power and the imagination and bulletproof optimism to overthrow it completely.
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I am of two minds
- By B.A.B. on 03-27-22
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Shit Cassandra Saw
- Stories
- By: Gwen E. Kirby
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Sura Siu, Rob Shapiro, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Cassandra may have seen the future, but it doesn't mean she's resigned to telling the Trojans everything she knows. In this ebullient collection, virgins escape from being sacrificed, witches refuse to be burned, whores aren't ashamed, and every woman gets a chance to be a radioactive cockroach warrior who snaps back at catcallers.
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Delightful collection of feminist short stories
- By SB on 01-13-22
By: Gwen E. Kirby
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Mother of Strangers
- A Novel
- By: Suad Amiry
- Narrated by: Amin El Gamal, Lameece Issaq
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Based on the true story of two Jaffa teenagers, Mother of Strangers follows the daily lives of Subhi, a fifteen-year-old mechanic, and Shams, the thirteen-year-old student he hopes to marry one day. In this prosperous and cosmopolitan port city, with its bustling markets, cinemas, and cafés on the hills overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, we meet many other unforgettable characters as well....
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Absolutely amazing story of the Nakba
- By Amazon Customer on 02-04-23
By: Suad Amiry
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All That's Left Unsaid
- A Novel
- By: Tracey Lien
- Narrated by: Aileen Huynh, Yen Nguyen, Amelia Nguyen
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Just let him go. These are the words Ky Tran will forever regret. The words she spoke when her parents called to ask if they should let her younger brother Denny out to celebrate his high school graduation with friends. That night, Denny—optimistic, guileless, brilliant Denny—is brutally murdered inside a busy restaurant in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta, a refugee enclave facing violent crime, an indifferent police force, and the worst heroin epidemic in Australian history.
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Author is obsessed with going #2
- By LS on 09-14-22
By: Tracey Lien
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Nosy Neighbors
- By: Freya Sampson
- Narrated by: Sarah Lambie
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Seventy-seven-year-old Dorothy Darling has lived in Shelley House longer than any of the other residents, and if you take their word for it, she’s as cantankerous as they come. But Dorothy has her reasons for spying. And none of them require justifying herself to Kat Bennett. Twenty-five-year-old Kat has never known a place where she felt truly at home, and crumbling Shelley House is no different. Her neighbors find her prickly and unapproachable, but beneath her tough exterior, Kat’s plagued by a guilty secret from her past.
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An easy story to get lost in.
- By A. Heintzman on 03-18-25
By: Freya Sampson
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Berlin
- A Novel
- By: Bea Setton
- Narrated by: Ell Potter
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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When Daphne arrives in Berlin, the last thing she expects is to run into more drama than she left behind. Of course, she knew she'd need to do the usual: make friends, acquire lovers, grapple with German and a whole new way of life. She even expected the long nights gorging alone on family-sized jars of Nutella, and the pitfalls of online dating in another language. The paranoia, the second-guessing of her every choice, the covert behaviors? Probably come with the territory. But one night, when Daphne is alone in her apartment, something strange, unnerving and entirely unexpected intervenes.
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A modern day Bell Jar!!
- By elizabeth houser on 06-27-24
By: Bea Setton
What listeners say about Behind You Is the Sea
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- samer
- 01-12-25
The humanity of the characters
This book made me laugh, cry and feel all the feelings in between. The characters were full, deep and representative of a sliver of that Arab diaspora in America. The longing and nostalgia for the homeland is well characterized and deeply touching.
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- Amber S.
- 02-10-24
The richness of the story and Marcus and his father
Did not like Marcus as a cop and felt this real sadness and empathy for his dad. The stories of all the parents and grandparents were nice. Hiba s grandparents were a real soft spot for me. Really easy listen
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- A living
- 08-24-24
Realistic
It is so wonderful to listen to the stories of glimpses of peoples lives and the cultural clashes. It captured the Arabs feelings from different perspectives.
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- Phillip Straghalis
- 05-22-24
 describes life in exile perfectly
The author his masterful woven the lives of very different Palistine families living in exile.
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- Steve
- 12-02-24
Poignant vignettes
Behind You Is the Sea is a compelling series of stories of various Arab-American characters loosely tied together by family or community.
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- Stacy
- 01-18-24
Family and tradition woven throughout
Behind You Is the Sea shares through many characters, the lives of Palestinian Americans living in the Baltimore area. The intergenerational stories share so many relationships — siblings, parent-child, child-grandparent, and adult-child and parent. The characters' lives are messy and touching and heartfelt. The power of family and tradition — good and bad — is woven through every scene. This novel has all the feels. These families will stay with you after the last page is read.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Suzanna
- 04-25-24
Wonderful
I wanted to savor this book. Beautifully written, the book has well developed, multi-faceted, and interesting characters. It's about families, love, and loss. I'm looking forward to more books by this talented author!
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- Melahdeedah
- 02-20-24
Beautiful
The stories are so raw but beautiful. You gain and huge understanding for families who are either in Palestine or immigrated to the US in hopes for a better future. The stories sit with you and I’m so thankful to have picked this up to listen to. 🍉
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1 person found this helpful
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- FlowingRiver
- 02-12-24
Poetic short stories.
Simple, elegant, authentic and profound. These stories will stay with me for a long time. They cut right through to our universal humanity while paying homage to a cultural heritage.
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- Samantha
- 07-02-24
Beautiful
This was a truly touching story. It follows several generations of Palestinians who immigrated to the U.S. It explored the difficulty between the generations who were born in the U.S. and the parents who were still tied to their cultural backgrounds.
I really enjoyed seeing the world from their different viewpoint as well as the similarities that is just a part of life. Very heartfelt and well written.
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