‘Do Not Ask the River Her Name’: A congested fictional narrative includes Israel-Palestine conflict

Is literature ever diplomatic? Can it ever claim to be “balanced”? Should that so-called virtue even be an aspiration? The function of a novel is a contested question that never tires, most of all because a singular answer is impossible. But perhaps the one thing that’s not up for discussion is this limit: you can not tell a story from all perspectives. No matter how hard you try, you’ll miss something. You’re better off when you don’t attempt this futility that is centrism in a novel. Animal Farm would have looked different if it had sought to present a balanced view of Soviet communism. All the great memoirs in the world would have faltered under such constraints. Even holy books understand the power of a singular narrative, which is why they have been listened to and even obeyed by so many.

Exile as consequence

The holy book referenced throughout the novel Do Not Ask the River Her Name is The Bible, specifically the Old Testament, in which exile takes up a lot of room. Exile often appears as a consequence of disobedience – a test of faith that ricochets through periods of reflection, repentance, and restoration. In this novel by Sheela Tomy, translated by Ministhy S, exile is...

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