Mornings in Jenin: a novel

by Susan Abulhawa · 2008

Mornings in Jenin follows the Abulhejo family from the olive groves of Ein Hod to the canvas tents of the Jenin refugee camp, and later across Lebanon, Jerusalem, America, and back to occupied Palestine. Through the eyes of Amal, the bright granddaughter born in the camp, the novel weaves four generations of love, loss, and survival amid the upheavals of 1948 and the decades of conflict that follow. Her brothers embody the tragedy of a divided land—one kidnapped and raised as an Israeli, the other a militant whose fate ends in a bomb. Amal’s own journey—from childhood in the camp, through marriage, motherhood, and exile—becomes a conduit for preserving her family’s memory. Susan Abulhawa’s lyrical, heart‑wrenching prose captures the enduring human spirit against displacement, war, and the relentless hope of returning home.