You Exist Too Much
AuthorZaina Arafat
LanguageEnglish
GenreLiterary fiction
PublisherCatapult
Publication date
June 9, 2020
Media typePrint (hardcover, paperback), Audio
ISBN9781948226509

You Exist Too Much is a debut novel by Zaina Arafat, published June 9, 2020 by Catapult. The book won the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Fiction in 2021.[1]

Reception

You Exist Too Much received positive reviews from the Los Angeles Review of Books,[2] The San Francisco Book Review,[3] Washington Independent Review of Books,[4] NPR,[5] The Irish Times,[6] and Publishers Weekly.[7]

NPR's Gabino Iglesias wrote that You Exist Too Much is "a perfect example of how culture and family can affect those whose lives span different realities."[5]

Sarah Mills, writing for the Los Angeles Review of Books, called it "[a]n unpretentious read," saying, "[W]hat the novel lacks in richness and layers, it makes up for in accessibility and honesty, steering clear of the stereotypes that so often plague characters from a Middle Eastern background."[2]

The Washington Independent Review's Antoaneta Tileva said it is "an engrossing character study of a young, bisexual Palestinian American woman. Much more than an exploration of intersecting lines and identities, the debut novel revels in their clouding."[4]

Kirkus,[8] The Washington Post,[9] New York Times Book Review,[10] and Booklist[11] provided mixed reviews.

Kirkus called the book "uneven,"[8] a sentiment echoed in Publishers Weekly's review,[7] though they agreed the novel was "intriguing."

Booklist's Terry Hong said, "Debuting novelist Arafat’s damaged cast might resonate with untethered millennials, but utmost patience is a must."[11]

In 2021, You Exist Too Much won the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Fiction.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Gentes, Brian (2021-06-02). "2021 Lambda Literary Award Winners Announced". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  2. 1 2 Mills, Sarah (2020-06-15). "A Quest for a Mother: The Infinite Pursuit of Possibility in Zaina Arafat's "You Exist Too Much"". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  3. ↑ Littell, Margo Orlando (2020-11-25). "You Exist Too Much: A Novel". San Francisco Book Review. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  4. 1 2 Tileva, Antoaneta (2020-12-29). "You Exist Too Much: A Novel". Washington Independent Review of Books. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  5. 1 2 Iglesias, Gabino (2020-06-11). "'You Exist Too Much' Exists In A Constant State Of Discontent". NPR. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  6. ↑ Gilmartin, Sarah. "You Exist Too Much: A provocative and insightful debut". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  7. 1 2 Arafat, Zaina (9 June 2020). Fiction Book Review: You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat. Catapult, $26 (272p). PublishersWeekly.com. ISBN 978-1-948226-50-9. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  8. 1 2 "You Exist Too Much". Kirkus Reviews. March 29, 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  9. ↑ Parssinen, Keija (2020-06-08). "Review | In Zaina Arafat's 'You Exist Too Much,' a child of the Palestinian diaspora tries to heal the psychic wounds passed down by her mother". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  10. ↑ Al-Shawaf, Rayyan (2020-11-24). "Queer Exile: Three Novels About Émigrés, Lovers and Family". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  11. 1 2 You Exist Too Much. 2020-06-01. Retrieved 2022-01-10 – via Booklist.
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