Too Soon by Betty Shamieh

Posted by Ms A on July 10, 2025 in All, Book Club Fodder, Grab it Now | Leave a comment

Arabella is a thirty-five-year-old theatre director living in New York.  She descends from a family of Palestinian migrants, but has spent her entire career chasing Tony Awards without disclosing her background.  She is conflicted daily by a combination of resentment and pride in her heritage. 

She’s also conflicted on the relationship front – lurching between group sex, settling down with her Jewish best friend and fantasizing about arranged marriage (talk about covering the field).  And yes, she is single.

To understand Arabella’s story, the novel shifts between her busy life in New York and the lives of her mother and grandmother. Over three generations, we see how war, cultural expectations and displacement has shaped them all.

At a time of unprecedented world conflict, there will be some that say this story is divisive, maybe even pro-Palestine propaganda, but I don’t see it that way at all. I see it as a thoroughly contemporary opportunity to contemplate the lingering effects of conflict across the world and how it continues to influence relationships, family expectations, business and the arts…especially for women.

Betty Shamieh, herself an American playwright of Palestinian descent, brings nuance to the story. She doesn’t lecture or offer any kind of opinion, let alone solution. Instead, she tells a story brimming with contradictions, unexpected humour and a dollop of sex.  Published in 2025, it is her first novel and has earned widespread critical praise. 

When I think of the lengthy list of reasons why I could never enter politics, confusion around the history of this part of the Middle East is high on it.  But give me a good story with some cleverly written characters and suddenly, things that never really make sense on the news, take on a new level of understanding.  

This is a great book for anyone craving a better understanding of the people and stories behind the protests, with zero strings or positions attached.  

In this blogger’s opinion, it’s definitely not Too Soon to read this one.

And that’s my 2 cents worth.