Coming April 2nd, 2024 from Hoopoe; 274 pages
About the Author: “Rania Hanna is a Syrian–American writer and researcher. She is a neuroscience doctoral student at George Mason University. The Jinn Daughter is her debut novel. She lives in Northern Virginia.” (Bio from IndiePubs.com).
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The Jinn Daughter follows Nadine, a Jinn whose duty, other than raising her daughter Layala, is to tell the stories of the dead. Every morning, she collects and drinks the juice from the fallen pomegranate seeds that contain the souls of the departed, then writes the soul’s story and sends them through the gates of death. When the seeds stop falling, Nadine is given an ultimatum by Kamuna, death incarnate, that puts both Layala’s life and the balance of worlds of the living and the dead in jeopardy. Amidst the uncertainty, one thing remains clear: Nadine will stop at nothing to ensure that Layala’s story continues to unfold.
Author Rania Hanna’s debut novel The Jinn Daughter is as lyrical and timeless as the Middle Eastern folklore that inspired it. From the archetypal characters and pastoral setting to the magical use of oral storytelling, the scale of Hanna’s contemporary folkloric world is seemingly boundless. She has the unique ability to seamlessly shift between the epic scale and the intimate relationships, especially the bond between mother and daughter. Nadine experiences both the joy and the emotional strain of watching Layala make the transition into adulthood. It was this very real dilemma of Layala pulling away while Nadine tries to hold on, in spite of her deathly obligations, that kept me turning the pages. But what makes The Jinn Daughter special is that it is a frame story. Much like The Canterbury Tales and One Thousand and One Nights, short tales are woven into the larger narrative of The Jinn Daughter, making for a highly engaging and rewarding reading experience. I recommend this book to readers who may be at odds with their parental figures and who enjoy dark fairytales.
The Jinn Daughter releases on April 2nd, 2024.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank Edelweiss and Hoopoe for sending us an ARC in
exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject
to change before final publication.
Kasey Taylor, Pine Reads Review Writer
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