An English translation of an Italian novel by Gabriella Ambrosio, Before We Say Goodbye (Walker Books, 2010) is inspired by the true story of two teenaged girls, Ayat al-Akhras and Rachel Levy. The original novel Prima di Lasciarsi, published in 2004, has been translated by experienced translator Alastair McEwan.
Before We Say Goodbye
The story begins at 7am on the 29th March 2002 in Jerusalem. Progressing through the day each hour from 7am to 2pm, readers follow several different residents of Jerusalem as they go about their day, particularly identifying with two teenaged girls, Dima and Myriam.
18-year-old Dima is Palestinian and top of her class at school. Dima lives with her family in Dheisheh, a Palestinian refugee camp and is promised in marriage to her 20-year-old cousin Faris. Myriam is also 18. She is an Israeli Jewess who spent her childhood in America. She now lives in Jerusalem with her mother and her 19-year-old brother Nathan, who is currently completing his compulsory military service at the Erez checkpoint.
Both girls are dissatisfied with their life in Jerusalem. Dima feels disconnected and oppressed, Myriam is struggling to come to terms with the violent death of her best friend Michael, who was killed in a bombing.
With sensitivity and objectivity, Ambrioso shares the thoughts of both girls and others whose lives are impacted by the events of the day. As readers become increasingly drawn into the story and progress towards the tragic conclusion, they are shown that there is no right or wrong to the situation, but rather confusion and despair with victims and aggressors on both sides.
Inspired by a True Story
Before We Say Goodbye is inspired by the true story of the deaths of Rachel Levy and Ayat al-Akhras. The story of Ayat’s suicide bombing and the death of Rachel and a supermarket security guard in March 2002 made international news. In 2007 a documentary called To Die in Jerusalem recounted the story of the two girls and featured the girls’ mothers describing the ongoing impact of the suicide bombing on their families.
In her author’s note, Gabriella Ambrosio remarks that ‘Good books don’t supply answers. Good books merely help us to ask questions; more and more questions’ and this is exactly what this cleverly constructed story does. For those familiar with the conflict and those who have only the barest awareness of this complex situation, Before We Say Goodbye offers viewpoints from both sides that enable readers to think more deeply about not only the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but any situation where there are opposing sides attempting to control and suppress their opponents.
Author Gabriella Ambrosio
Gabriella Ambrosio is an Italian journalist and copywriter, a former professor and currently president of an international advertising agency in Italy. She has written several successful essays and recently contributed to Freedom, a short-story anthology celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Before We Say Goodbye is Ambrosio’s first novel. It is now available in both Arabic and Hebrew and was the recipient of an Italian first novel award at the Festival du Premier Romance in Chambery, France. Before We Say Goodbye is endorsed by Amnesty International as contributing to a better understanding of human rights and the values that underpin them.
A Confronting Tale of Conflict and Oppression
Before We Say Goodbye offers insight into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for teen and adult readers. The story of Dima and Myriam, their thoughts, confusion, fears and actions, offers readers an opportunity to see behind the political rhetoric to the real people impacted by this complex and longstanding situation.
The story also offers lessons about more general issues related to the oppression of others, the relationship between tormentor and victim, the struggle to find identity and the need to view any conflict from both sides.
A moving and confronting story, Before We Say Goodbye is well deserving of the praise it has received.
Before We say Goodbye (ISBN: 978-1-4063-2504-1, 145 pages)
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