As though she were sleeping - Elias Khoury

Praise for Elias Khoury'sNew York TimesNotable BookGate of the Sun:

"An imposingly rich and realistic novel, a genuine masterwork."—The New York Times Book Review

"The beautiful, resilient city of Beirut belongs to Khoury." —Los Angeles Times Book Review

Milia's eyelashes drew apart, her eyes still curtained in drowsiness. She made up her mind to close them again and return to her dream. She saw a small white candle whose wan light trembled and flickered in the fog. . .

Milia's response to her new husband Mansour and to the Middle East of 1947 is to close her eyes and drift into parallel worlds where identities shift, where she can converse with the dead and foresee the future. As the novel progresses, Milia's dreams become more navigable than the strange and obstinate "reality" in which she finds herself, and the two worlds grow ever more entangled.

Elias Khoury, born in Beirut in 1948, is a novelist, essayist, playwright, and critic. He was awarded the Palestine Prize forGate of the Sun, which was named a Best Book of the Year byLe Monde Diplomatique,The Christian Science Monitor, and theSan Francisco Chronicle, and a Notable Book byThe New York TimesandThe Kansas City Star. Archipelago Books also published Khoury'sYaloin 2008 and hisWhite Masksin 2010.