Arabian Jazz

by Diana Abu-Jaber

"This oracular first novel, which unfurls like gossamer [has] characters of a depth seldom found in a debut." ― The New Yorker In Diana Abu-Jaber's "impressive, entertaining" ( Chicago Tribune ) first novel, a small, poor-white community in upstate New York becomes home to the transplanted Jordanian family of Matussem Ramoud: his grown daughters, Jemorah and Melvina; his sister Fatima; and her husband, Zaeed. The widower Matuseem loves American jazz, kitschy lawn ornaments, and, of course, his daughters. Fatima is obsessed with seeing her nieces married―Jemorah is nearly thirty! Supernurse Melvina is firmly committed to her work, but Jemorah is ambivalent about her identity and role. Is she Arab? Is she American? Should she marry and, if so, whom? Winner of the Oregon Book Award and finalist for the National PEN/Hemingway Award, Arabian Jazz is "a joy to read…You will be tempted to read passages out loud. And you should" ( Boston Globe ). USA Today praises Abu-Jaber's "gift for dialogue...her Arab-American rings musically, and hilariously, true."

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Middle East, Cultural, Literary Fiction, Novels, New York

390 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1993

About the author

Diana Abu-Jaber is the award-winning author of Life Without A Recipe, Origin, Crescent, Arabian Jazz, and The Language of Baklava. Her writing has appeared in Good Housekeeping, Ms., Salon, Vogue, Gourmet, the New York Times, The Nation, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. She divides her time between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Emily Coffee and Commentary · Rating 2 out of 5]

A humorous exploration of identity and desire in upstate New York. The characters are colorful and loud, offering a variety of insights on romance, grief, culture, and knowing oneself. The open ending feels genuine, as so often getting to know ourselves is a never ending process, filled with ups and downs, contradictions and harmonies.

[Cheryl Gatling]

I picked this book up more or less by accident, and was thrilled to find that it takes place in Syracuse, my home town. The characters work at Johnson-Crowes hospital, which is obviously meant to be Crouse-Irving hospital, where I work. They live in Euclid, which is a real town north of the city. References to the Onondaga Indian Reservation, the Moyers Corners Fire Department, "the strip between the hospital and Syracuse University" that is Marshall Street, watching the Orangemen, and driving up to eat fish on the shore of Lake Ontario all gave me a thrill. (Although I was disappointed that on page 181, Melvina tells Jem that Onondaga Lake is salt water, which is not true. It is true that Syracuse was once one of the world's major salt producers, but the salt came from underground springs.) Why is this book not better-known locally? Why aren't Syracuse book clubs eating it up?

Of course the book is not really about Syracuse. It could have been set in almost any other American town. It is about Matussem Ramoud, immigrant from Jordan (not Jordan, near Elbridge, but Jordan the country), and his two grown daughters. Matussem is dazed and directionless since the death of his wife. His joy is playing jazz drums with his band made up of himself and a few guys from the gas station. The girls need husbands, or so the Jordanian relative insist. The book is about individuality versus family expectations. The book is about what is home? What does it mean to be Arab in America? (This was still a problematic question, even before 9/11.) And how do you deal with the death of your mother? These questions are implicit throughout most of the book's wandering, leisurely narrative, and emerge mostly at the end. The ranting of the Jordanian characters, in their accented English is hilarious, and reminded me, as it did others, of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I found the characters of the (self-described) "white trash" neighbors uncomfortably stereotypical. The info at the back of the book says that the author used to live in Euclid, New York, so I have no doubt that she based the Otts and Ellises on people she actually knew, but still... you know you're a redneck when your trailer is surrounded by trash, and you have a passel of children by different fathers, and you can't read. I also thought that in a book published in 1993, the author should have known better than to have Melvie the Super-Nurse wear a white uniform and a cap. Whites and caps were long dead by then. But I quibble. The writing was beautiful, and there was a sad, sweetness under the funny family conflict.

[Rahma Manaseer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for class and I had to do a presentation where I read the work and tie it up with the theme of displacement, hybridity, dispossession...etc. To be honest, I was not really expecting to like this book because, you know, it's a "university read"; I was forced into reading it. However, I enjoyed it immensely! It has some hilarious parts that I didn't take it seriously at times, yet I felt it got darker as I kept reading and it tackled morbid issues, such as abortion, femicide, rape, incest and many more. It was quite appalling to read about these issues in a book that I deemed light and sparse.

The character that interested me most was Jemorah. Unlike her sister, Melvina, she experiences too much pressure to identify herself. Anyone comes from a different cultural background wants to identify with that particular ethnic group. Thus producing an equally detrimental effect on the individual’s sense of identity. Jemorah perpetually feels under pressure to conform to traditional Arab customs that she does not quite comprehend. Melvina, on the other hand, couldn't care less. She does not share her sister’s discomfort and constantly defies all conventions.

By the end of the book, Jemorah tells her sister that she feels lost; she doesn't know where is her place in the world and her need to find her self intensifies:
"I’m tired of fighting it out here. I don’t have much idea of what it is to be Arab, but that’s what the family is always saying we are. I want to know what part of me is Arab. I haven’t figured out what part is our mother, either. It’s like she abandoned us, left us alone to work it all out."

[Sherien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arabian Jazz is a story depicting the Jordan immigrant experience and their struggle to cope with cultural conflict in America. Jemorah and Melvina, the second generation in the story are American born who are half Jordan and half Irish American trapped in the ‘in betweeness’ issues. Are they Arab? Are they American? They don’t feel a strong bond towards the Jordan culture but on the other hand, the American society don’t perceive them as truly American. Through out the story we follow their conflict in finding identity. Marriage and class is also an issue that this story tries to deliver. Should the girls follow and be ‘good’ obeying Jordan girls and marry Jordan men? Should they even have to marry at all? If yes to whom? To an Arab or to their American lovers? As with the main characters in this story, the American society (characters) depicted in this story are those from the middle and lower class. In a bigger perspective, this story shows how (like an immigrant in an American society) the lower class people regardless of what their nationality are, can also be an outcast in their society.The first generation in this story discovers how hard it is to try to maintain their motherland culture. The father—Matussem is an interesting character in my opinion. After living for so many years in America, later on he couldn’t find himself quite at ‘home’ in his motherland—Jordan. The American society will always see him and his family as an outcast. His passion in his Jazz music can be seen as his way of finding ‘home’. His Jazz music is his true identity.

At some parts, I could not thoroughly enjoy the story. I found some parts of the book to be draggy and dull. I see some of the characters kind of stereotypical. Another thing that is a turn off for me is the way the author writes which I found somehow dry and not engaging enough. Other than that, I still think the theme about cultural identity, marriage and music quite interesting. It just could have been written better in my opinion.

[Haneen Amireh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not even bother to finish this book! How did it even get published? This novel is a living testament of poor writing, adhering it also to an Illogical flow of narrative structure. There is literally nothing that connects this book to the theoretical framework of Arab American writers or diaspora!!! Clearly, the writer has never interacted with an Arab American community, nor been to the Middle East.

Usually, I immensely enjoy reading books by Arab American writers, but this book! Oh my, was a slow death for me. It was a complete waste of my time and a waste of space on my bookshelf. Was the writer aware that she was constructing a nonsensical plot line that resulted into a complete abyss of literary devices!!! I did not even find a plot hole because I DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE FLOW OF NARRATION
I will not bother any further to vent over a badly written published novel.

It’s a 0/5 for me! Do not pick this novel even in times of despair! You’ve been warned.

[Dina Khatib · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 20%. I tried, but I couldn’t finish it…

Reading this book was an exercise in frustration, or an endurance test rather than a pleasure. The characters were insufferable, the plot was almost non-existent, and the portrayal of Arab/Jordanians was so off-base that it made me wonder if the author has ever interacted with a Jordanian.

To make matters worse, the author’s vocal support for the Biden/Harris administration—especially during a period when they are funding the Israeli genocide in Gaza—only adds to the book’s distastefulness. Disgusting.

Save yourself the agony and pick up something—anything—else.

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am wicked bummed. I could not finish this. I LOVE this author-Crescent, Origin, Birds of Paradise-all wonderful books, so I really, really wanted to read this one, because it is the first book she wrote. I even went to a bit of trouble to borrow it as my county library system did not have it, and they located a copy of it from the interstate library system. Honestly, I was so happy when it arrived, because this author’s other books were ALL THAT! So imagine my disappointment—I read 200 pages, so I gave it a fair shot. It is not the writing was bad-it just never seemed to gel. But there were glimmers of the gorgeous, sensual, and atmospheric writer she would become, but not enough to stir me to read more.

[Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا]

I remember this book! I took it out of the university library to read in the bus, I was attracted to the cover and title and that the name of the author is Arab. Can't remember much, but I recall it was a family drama about a Jordanian family living in New York. Memories!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for the Spilling Tea Book Club and I liked it, but did not love it. It tells the story of two half Jordanian sisters and their father in suburban Syracuse New York. Their wife and mother died way too young of typhus on a visit to Jordan and the large, extended Jordanian family has mad it their mission to see the girls happy and settled (in their minds, married with large families). The older sister, Jemorah is bright and unhappy. She wants more out of her life than being a data person in the hospital that employs her father and sister. Melvina, seven years younger is a Head Nurse, strict and stern, who does not necessarily see happiness as as a goal. Not much happens in the story, it is more of a descriptive tale of being overwhelmed by a large family, full of characters. Closer to the end, the author provides more backstory, encouraging some sympathy for members of the family. I am looking forward to our virtual discussion!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.9 stars

Based on the summary, this book is supposedly about a character named Jemorah figuring out who she is. Well, I gotta tell you, after reading 374 pages about her and her family, I know just as much about who she is as when I started: nothing.

I could tell you who her sister Melvina is, I could tell you who her father Matussem is, I could tell you who her aunt Fatima is, and I could tell you about who all of her acquaintances are - but not who she is.

The first 1/2 of the book had me in a constant state of confusion. I couldn't tell what was going on at all other than the fact that Jemorah's aunt wants to set her up with men and Melvina is trying to help patients. If this were a book I had been reading on my own, and not because it was assigned to me in class, I would have stopped there, but since it was assigned reading, I kept going.

Finally, in the second half, things start actually making some sense and being interesting. However, Jemorah is not one of the interesting things. She barely talks and we also barely see any of her thoughts for that matter. Melvina, Matussem, and Fatima are all more of a main character than she is; they are constantly talking for her, and she doesn't seem to object to them doing so during the majority of the book.

And this book is supposedly about Jemorah trying to figure out who she is, whether she is Arabian or American, and what she wants in life, but we don't see that until 2/3 of the book has already happened. And that last 2/3 was so interesting - but it's so late in the book that it's hard to hold onto. Not only that but the author keeps bringing up things that never get addressed later on, as well as saying one thing and then doing the other.

The ending was so unsatisfying, as well. We have no clue what Jemorah is going to do next - it's implied that she's going to go to school, but she doesn't actually say it. I have read books that have successfully ended with a conclusion that didn't give us all the answers but made us feel like it was still a wholesome ending; this is not one of them at all.

The heart of this story is great, and the characters - other than Jemorah - are so interesting and fun to listen to. I just feel like this author needed more time to make this book into what it could be. This does not feel at all like the final draft of the book. In my opinion, the author should have cut out the majority of the first half and fleshed out the second half more to make the second half shine. She also has multiple parts of the story that should have either been removed all together OR fleshed out and resolved like the part where Jemorah catches Melvina having sex with Larry and then it's just never mentioned again???.

I like a lot of things about this book but it needed more time and editing before it could be its best.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jemorah and Melvina Ramoud have been raised by their father – a Jordanian American man whose love for the drums is the only thing that can dampen his grief for his late wife. Now in their 20′s, Jem and Melvie are a source of constant worry to their aunts, who long to see them married off to a nice Arabian man. Jem is brilliantly intelligent but lacks the motivation to do much with her life, working as a secretary in the same hospital as her father and sister. Melvie is a highly driven nurse, who takes no guff from her patients or her family and friends, she is as stubborn and powerful as a force of nature. As different family members travel from Jordan to assist in the attempts to find men for these women, Jem and Melvie and their father, must come to terms with who they are and who their family is. The girls must struggle to define themselves – are they Arabian or American? Or can they be both? And they must forgive themselves for what happened to their mother – who was with both of them the night she died. Along their path of healing and learning, other family members are drawn in and given a chance to forgive themselves for ancient wrongs and misdeeds.

I didn’t really have a great reason for picking this book up, mostly because we were trying to take as many books from the library as we could to help them move and this sounded vaguely interesting. The basis for the story (finding your racial identity or dealing with the death of your mother) wasn’t very pertinent for me but I still found both Jemorah and Melvina enthralling as characters. The storytelling was lovely and lyrical, with portions of such beautiful prose that it could have been considered poetry.

You could call this book a novel without a conclusive ending – it isn’t wrapped up all neat and tidy like a Jane Austen novel. But it still is satisfying. All throughout the story, there’s a frantic and unhappy and unsettled tone. But the ending is mellow and peaceful, and you see that it’s the perfect way for you to leave the family.

[Eliza · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although the other books by this author I love, this one fell short. It didn't have a clear plot, and it tried to tell the stories of too many people. It was a compendium of thoughts and events occurring everywhere over a span of time, and it was just too much. No one character was developed enough, instead each was developed a mediocre amount. The book ended up dragging on with no focus.

[Diane C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have read all her other books..........this was the first and least sure handed. I love her books, but this one, as another reader commented, was long on dialogue, character forming and short on plot. It didn't draw me in. I skimmed, and then quickly read the end. It never becomes compelling.

[Terri R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, which I have been meaning to read for a long time. A few years ago I listened to Crescent, by the same author, as an audiobook, and really enjoyed her characters and the mixture of cultures and myths and tales and real people trying to find their places in the world.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕋𝕖𝕒 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℂ𝕝𝕦𝕓 ✦ Jordanian-American sisters, Melvina and Jemorah live with their father Mateusem in Utica, New York. While Melvina is a driven nurse at the local hospital, her older sister by eight years, struggles with her job, her relationships. Both struggle with their place as half-Jordanian women in 90s America. Their American mother died when they were young and the girls have been stagnant in their own lives. As Jem approaches 30 years old, her aunt, Fatima, and the rest of the family pressure her about her getting married and moving out of the house. Through this novel the eccentric townsfolk of Utica weave in and out of their lives as the sisters try to figure out what to do next.

This book was described as a comedy, and though there are some comedic parts, there are also some very dark parts. The writing in this book is lush with a tapestry of images, and precise descriptions. However, I feel like the plot was trying to do too much. The book opens with preparations for a party for the archbishop, but after the party, thorough the middle of the book I was lost by the cousins and the different characters coming and going. The last fifty pages were lovely, and the book comes to a satisfying concluding calling back to many of the earlier plot points. The best part of the book was the relationship between the sisters, best friends, who are always on each other’s side. The book doesn’t fall into petty quarrels and predictable plot points, but some of the characters seem more like caricatures than real people. The book explored themes of family, identity, the immigrant experience, and childhood trauma. By the end I enjoyed this book but the middle was confusing and had too many characters and plots. Readers have given her other books good reviews so I may check those out later. ★★★☆☆ • Paperback • Fiction • Published by Harcourt on June 1, 1993. ◾︎

[Courtney Ferriter · Rating 2 out of 5]

** 2.5 stars **

This novel centers on Matussem Ramoud, an aging widower, and his two adult daughters, Melvina and Jemorah, both of whom are unmarried. Ramoud immigrated to the U.S. from Jordan and settled in upstate New York. I enjoyed the characterizations in this novel, especially Melvina and Aunt Fatima.

As a novel, however, this didn't quite work for me. First, rather than following one primary character from start to finish (or alternating between the perspectives of Melvina and Jemorah), the author shows the perspectives of a number of characters throughout the book, and I wasn't sure why because this didn't always serve the main storyline about Melvina and Jemorah. Second, there just isn't a lot of plot to this novel, which made the reading experience drag on for me since this book is about 375 pages long. Finally, the apparent climax of the story occurs when Jem has a conversation with a cousin about identity, but this didn't feel earned because we don't see Jem struggle with her sense of identity throughout the novel.

So overall, good characterization, but little character development and not much plot to the book either. I guess I might recommend it if you like 'slice of life'-type stories, but otherwise, I was bored through most of it, unfortunately.

[Mom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arabian Jazz is the story of an Arab-American family struggling between their two cultures. The main characters are two motherless sisters, both nearing 30 years old and still single. Their aunt fears that they will never marry, at least not the nice Jordanian men she feels they should marry.

The novel is humorous and entertaining, containing beautiful lines and stunning descriptions. Unfortunately, the plot is meandering at best and many of the characters mere stereotypes. I read up to page 250 and then decided: what's the point?" The plot was going nowhere. I abandoned the book, although I admit that I feel I may have thus missed some hysterical bits of dialog and/or some lovely lines of prose. But, really, the story was lacking a central core of meaning and I expected more.

Having read and loved several of Diana Abu-Jaber's other books: Crescent, Language of Baklava, and Life Without a Recipe, I was excited to find this book in the local "free library." I suggest that readers pick up those other books first, as they are sure to satisfy. This was her first novel, and it shows.

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Last year, I read two of Diana Abu-Jaber's novels and one of her memoirs and thoroughly enjoyed them all. Her descriptive writing style, especially when involving food and cooking, was pure prose. "Arabian Jazz" was her first novel and I just cannot get into it. I'm 237 pages in and I think that's where I'll leave it. The story is about two motherless, Jordanian-American sisters in their late 20's whose aunt is worried that she'll never get them married off. One sister is very focused and outspoken and the other is very unsure of herself. Their forays into dating are just rather silly and some of the characters that surround them seem to just fade in and out. Disappointing.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of hers and I do really like her work. The characters seemed less like real people and like “characters” in the sense of idiosyncratic or weird. Also the plot, what there was of it, was not engaging to me. The basic premise of the immigrant family assimilating or not was fine, but got lost in the weirdness. And alas, the main character (I think) Jem was vague, even at the end of the book. No there, there.

[Kate McKinney · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author's 1st novel, about a transplanted Jordanian family in America. Whimsical writing-style initially helps create endearing characters. But it reads at times like a creative-writing experiment, gone haywire. It starts to become chaotic w/characters arguing, physically fighting, then a dark, dreary section detailing a mother's death & the aftermath. Ugh. A light book gone dark, why?

This book finally lost me for good, when they buried a baby alive. - Forget it!

[Nanseaaaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have such mixed feelings for this novel. It really did seem like a debut novel, there was just so much going on, so much it tried to comment on, that some of the plots and social commentary felt rushed, or honestly dragged. Despite that however, I do have an appreciation for this book for all it tried to be, and motivated me to read more of Abu-Jaber’s works because it’s clear she has something to say.

[Debra B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an impressive debut novel! An imaginative tale of culture clash with wonderful character development. I really cared about the characters. Poignant, quirky, at times laugh-out-loud funny and at other times heartbreakingly sad, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Having lived in Syracuse for eight years, I also loved the depictions of that area in upstate New York. Bravo, Ms. Abu-Jaber!

[Tim Chesterton · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a long time to warm up to this book, and to be honest, I’m still not sure what the plot is about, but in the end I couldn’t help falling in love with the richly-drawn characters. It was the author’s first novel; I’m giving it three stars out of five, and I’ll definitely be looking out for her other books.

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of characters to keep track of, but beautiful descriptions. I enjoyed getting a glimpse into a new culture and seeing how the characters interacted. I wouldn't necessarily call the ending satisfying, but I don't regret reading it.

[Carolyn Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of an Arabian/American family and their quest to fit into some culture - they aren't sure which. There are a large number of characters and the book did seem to jump around a bit, but I still found it entertaining and sad. Didn't love the ending but would still recommend the book.

[Stuart Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a lovely little book about a family of Jordanians making the transition to the U.S. in upstate New York.

Often laugh-out-loud funny. Even more often amusing. With an undercurrent of deep sadness.

I think you're going to love this book.

[Mayisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

an interesting read

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Families are weird, frustrating, and sometimes, wonderful.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is a hot mess. Entertaining at times but such a mishmash of characters.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish this book. Too disjointed, disheartening, difficult to understand why the characters seemed to blindly accept their fate time and again.