The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)

Alameddine chronicles a Lebanese family’s turbulent but happy lives in his ebullient latest (after The Wrong End of the Telescope). Narrator Raja, 63, shares an apartment in Beirut with his mother, with whom he’s very close. With disarming charm, he reflects on their recent challenges, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and Lebanon’s banking collapse. Raja, who is gay, maintains a similar tone when describing his older brother, Farouk, a family man with whom he’s often at odds: “My brother was as transparent as a piece of glass, only not as smart.” Raja also delves into his life-threatening experiences during the 1975 civil war, including when he was held captive by a soldier named Boodie, whom Raja won over by teaching him to dance. Often Raja’s adventures turn out badly, but in his telling he manages to come out on top. For instance, 30 years earlier, when he was a schoolteacher, he had sex with a man who then tried to blackmail him, threatening to out him to his colleagues. It amuses Raja now to remember that the man didn’t believe him when he claimed that everyone knew he was gay, including his mother. Throughout, the author skillfully juxtaposes unflinching depictions of war and deprivation with the narrator’s joie de vivre. It’s a ravishing performance. Agent: Nicole Aragi, Aragi, Inc. (Sept.)