Weeds

The novel, which was rewarded by the Arab Literature Award "L'Gardier" in its ninth session a few days ago, begins from the school playground in Beirut during the civil war in 1983, where the shelling intensifies and the parents rush to take their terrified children away from the sound of shells and gunfire. But Sandrine, the heroine of the novel, a 12-year-old girl, accustomed to pretending not to be afraid, appears to be afraid for her "savior" — that father, a giant and fragile at the same time, who tries to reassure her by telling jokes and playful stories away from violence and the tense atmosphere.