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I grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, during the civil war - turbulent years fraught with danger and uncertainty. Books became a source of comfort, and literature an escape from the prevailing madness and brutality. I went on to read for an MLitt in English Lit at Oxford, at a time when the "City of Dreaming Spires" and war-torn Lebanon were poles apart, and ended up in editorial jobs for academic and commercial institutions. I’m the author of three novels: BEIRUT IN SHADES OF GREY, which explores two polarized attitudes to war through romance; LEAH, a novel set on a remote fictitious island haunted by the drowning of a little girl thirty years ago; and THE MEMORY OF LOSS.
For the latter, I envisioned a young woman out of her depth, and chose as the main protagonist a nineteen-year-old naïve South African girl on a gap year. The novel is set in 1986, when South Africa was virtually cut off from the rest of the world, because of apartheid and sanctions. Her foil, Lilly Somerville, on the other hand, is accomplished, worldly, and a survivor of WWII France. I wanted to explore how far people will go to make their life bearable, sometimes to the point of lying to themselves because after all, we all want to achieve a certain level of peace, if not happiness. So the novel is about outright denial, which, despite its negative connotations, might be the only way we can handle the truth.
Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite
The Memory of Loss by Dana K. Haffar blends family drama with historical elements into an intriguing, character-driven story that will have readers mesmerized. Nadine Hall has suffered a devastating loss and still blames herself for everything. Having completed her training in caregiving, she seizes the chance to start a new life by accepting an offer to become a caregiver to Lilly, far away from home in France. But the atmosphere in Lilly’s home is far from anything that would make her feel comfortable and accepted. Things get complicated for her when her employer’s daughter, Katrina, arrives. Kat does everything to make life hell for Nadine and to get rid of her. When Nadine discovers Lilly’s journal, detailing her life in German-occupied Paris, she discovers secrets she thinks she could use to outwit Katrina. But she could be setting herself up for something worse. Interesting to find out the twist!
Dana K. Haffar’s novel is a very engaging and entertaining story. I was impressed with the way the author explores emotions, thanks to the brilliant development of character. The characters display strong humanity and readers can easily connect with them. The reader wants to get to know the protagonist. The author handles the conflict expertly, exploring it at different levels — physical, psychological, and emotional — and it is interesting to see how it drives the plot. The Memory of Loss is well-plotted, intelligently paced, and crafted to keep the reader focused on the characters. I enjoyed how the author used Lily’s account of her life to comment on the atmosphere in France and social life in Paris during the German occupation.
