Against the Loveless World

by Susan Abulhawa

But I know now that going from place to place is just something exiles have to do. Whatever the reason, the earth is never steady beneath our feet.

“But I’m saying that strict heterosexuality is probably a small minority of humanity. If you take society and religion out of the equation, we’re probably all a little homo.” I went all-in with my theory, making it up as I went along, amazing myself.

No therapist or clergy can substitute for the confidence of a whore, because whores have no voice in the world, no avenue to daylight, and that makes us the most reliable custodians of secrets and truth.

No one had ever kissed me with such love, and it occurred to me that happiness can reach such depths that it becomes something akin to grief.