A Saltwater Requiem
Apr 2027 · Penguin
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400
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infoThis book will become available on April 6, 2027. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
Inspired by the fact that around 150 Arabic names appeared on the passenger manifest of the Titanic, this sweeping historical novel follows a Syrian immigrant family meeting their fates both on and off the storied ship.
Elias is the golden son of Tanios, patriarch of an affluent Christian family in the village of Saidnaya. But their good fortune takes a turn when Elias is forcibly conscripted by the Ottoman army the morning after his extravagant wedding to the town beauty. As Ottoman occupation draws closer, they’re left with no choice but to abandon their beloved homeland for the possibility of a better life in America.
Throughout their fraught voyage—with stops in Beirut, Marseille, and eventually Southampton—tensions, secrets, and agendas bubble up from below the surface. Matriarch Nazira desperately clings to the family’s waning status, while eldest daughter Mariam fights for autonomy from her mother’s rigid expectations. Youngest son Joseph meets a dashing man and gets swept up in London’s publishing scene. Trusted maid Sawsan tries to salvage her dignity amid an illicit affair. Who will get left behind, and who will careen forward—and which outcome will leave them in better stead?
Blending folklore and intergenerational memory, and with great affection for its female and queer characters, A Saltwater Requiem is a sprawling multi-perspective novel that takes a piece of popular history and makes it new again, centering a non-white story aboard the “unsinkable” ship to conjure a moving and universal tale of belonging.
Elias is the golden son of Tanios, patriarch of an affluent Christian family in the village of Saidnaya. But their good fortune takes a turn when Elias is forcibly conscripted by the Ottoman army the morning after his extravagant wedding to the town beauty. As Ottoman occupation draws closer, they’re left with no choice but to abandon their beloved homeland for the possibility of a better life in America.
Throughout their fraught voyage—with stops in Beirut, Marseille, and eventually Southampton—tensions, secrets, and agendas bubble up from below the surface. Matriarch Nazira desperately clings to the family’s waning status, while eldest daughter Mariam fights for autonomy from her mother’s rigid expectations. Youngest son Joseph meets a dashing man and gets swept up in London’s publishing scene. Trusted maid Sawsan tries to salvage her dignity amid an illicit affair. Who will get left behind, and who will careen forward—and which outcome will leave them in better stead?
Blending folklore and intergenerational memory, and with great affection for its female and queer characters, A Saltwater Requiem is a sprawling multi-perspective novel that takes a piece of popular history and makes it new again, centering a non-white story aboard the “unsinkable” ship to conjure a moving and universal tale of belonging.
Inspired by the fact that around 150 Arabic names appeared on the passenger manifest of the Titanic, this sweeping historical novel follows a Syrian immigrant family meeting their fates both on and off the storied ship.
Elias is the golden son of Tanios, patriarch of an affluent Christian family...
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About the author
DANNY RAMADAN is a Syrian-Canadian author and advocate for LGBTQ+ refugees. His debut novel, The Clothesline Swing, was longlisted for Canada Reads and named a Best Book of the Year by The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star. His second novel, The Foghorn Echoes, won the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction and was shortlisted for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and the Vancouver Book Award. His memoir, Crooked Teeth, was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction and the Evergreen Award. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC and currently lives in Vancouver with his husband.
DANNY RAMADAN is a Syrian-Canadian author and advocate for LGBTQ+ refugees. His debut novel, The Clothesline Swing, was longlisted for Canada Reads and named a Best Book of the Year by The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star. His second novel, The Foghorn Echoes, won the Lambda Literary Award for Gay...
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