The Woman I Left Behind

The Woman I Left Behind is a poetically written novel about a turbulent love affair between a young American woman and a Palestinian refugee. When Irene, an intelligent, committed and discerning student meets Khalid, a Palestinian refugee now living in Southern California, she immediately knows that this man would cause her both immense pain and immense joy. Coming from two separate worlds that are at odds with each other, both Irene and Khalid have to overcome their cultural differences. Irene comes to realize that she has to break free from her parents' norms and values and lead a more meaningful life-a life not guided by superficialities but by a sense of commitment and purpose. After opening her eyes not only to the psychological wounds Khalid suffered during his experiences of war, deportation, and exile, but also to her own childhood wounds, Irene abandons her detached self, ultimately leading to a reconciliation with Khalid.

With its detailed depictions of modern Palestinian history, as well as its cast of colorful characters-from Palestinian feminists to American cyberpunks-Kim Jensen's novel reiterates the vital connections between politics, the imagination, and the most intimate aspects of our lives.

Kim Jensen has lived and taught in the Arab world. She has published her work in a variety of journals and magazines. In 2001, she won the Raymond Carver prize for short fiction. Currently, she teaches writing in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Woman I Left Behind is a poetically written novel about a turbulent love affair between a young American woman and a Palestinian refugee. When Irene, an intelligent, committed and discerning student meets Khalid, a Palestinian refugee now living in Southern California, she immediately knows that this man would cause her both immense pain and immense joy. Coming from two separate worlds that are at odds with each other, both Irene and Khalid have to overcome their cultural differences. Irene comes to realize that she has to break free from her parents' norms and values and lead a more meaningful life-a life not guided by superficialities but by a sense of commitment and purpose. After opening her eyes not only to the psychological wounds Khalid suffered during his experiences of war, deportation, and exile, but also to her own childhood wounds, Irene abandons her detached self, ultimately leading to a reconciliation with Khalid.

With its detailed depictions of modern Palestinian history, as well as its cast of colorful characters-from Palestinian feminists to American cyberpunks-Kim Jensen's novel reiterates the vital connections between politics, the imagination, and the most intimate aspects of our lives.

Kim Jensen has lived and taught in the Arab world. She has published her work in a variety of journals and magazines. In 2001, she won the Raymond Carver prize for short fiction. Currently, she teaches writing in Baltimore, Maryland.

Publishers Weekly

Jensen's awkward debut describes the politically and intellectually impassioned love affair between two students at a Southern California university in the 1980s who share a radical politics and love of poetry, but must bridge a wide cultural gulf. Khalid, a Palestinian refugee whose parents were shot by Israeli soldiers, and Irene, an alienated, antiestablishment Gentile from an affluent East Coast family, meet at an antiapartheid rally. From having "no inner resilience" (the result of her empty, materialistic upbringing and a sexual assault), Irene begins to discover purpose and engage with identity politics. Irene and Khalid's initially intense sexual attraction is strained by cultural differences and Khalid's war-bred cynicism, but their tumultuous relationship spans the course of the novel, which lasts to the first Iraq war. The woman of the title refers to the sheltered child-of-privilege Irene was before her radicalization, the beloved aunt Khalid left behind in Palestine, and Bernie, the activist he married for U.S. citizenship and abandoned for Irene. The book suffers from cardboard characters propped up to represent ideas and an oblique structure, which seeks to authenticate the fractured consciousness of victims of personal and political violence, while also encompassing an affected he said/she said approach to narrative. (Apr.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kim Jensen has lived and taught in the Arab World, and has published her work in a variety of journals and magazines. In 2001, she won the Raymond Carver Prize for Short Fiction. She currently teaches writing and literature in Baltimore, MD.