It seems fitting to share a review of The Eyes of Gaza: A Diary of Resilience by Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad on October 7, given that her novel is a compilation of her diary entries during her 45 days in Gaza under Israel’s intense bombardment.

And though you would think after two years of seeing unending bloodshed and destruction on social media, one would be used to it, this book still had the power to make me cry.

It’s the kind of book that makes you wonder what you’d put in your emergency bag — your laptop, a hard drive, one pair of clothes, no books (too heavy), no photo albums, no trinkets, no jewellery — if your house was in danger of being bombed. If you had five minutes to clear out, what would you take?

This, Alaqad says, was the norm for Palestinians living in Gaza even before Oct 7, 2023.

One thing that struck me about The Eyes of Gaza was how it read in some ways like a dystopian novel. A world turned upside down, a young girl navigating it, her rush to get to hospitals and places with internet to tell her story. Her worry about her house being bombed while she was mid-shower — the kind of thing that seems inane but would worry me too.

Read the full review here.