The True True Story of Raja the Gullible

Raja is a high school philosophy teacher who lives in a small Beirut apartment with his sharp-witted eighty-year-old mother, Zalfa. When he accepts an all-expenses-paid writing residency in America, it seems like a chance to escape both his family burdens and the turbulence of Lebanon. Instead, the distance forces him to revisit a life marked by absurdity, captivity during the civil war, political collapse, and unexpected tenderness. With biting humor and an intimate voice, Raja tells a story of memory, trauma, survival, and the stubbornness of love.

~  Included for its deeply personal and humorous exploration of queer Lebanese identity, maternal bonds, and endurance through national upheaval. A kaleidoscopic and moving novel that balances sharp wit with emotional honesty.  ~