The Syrian Ladies Benevolent Society - by Christine Estima (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

CBC, Best Canadian Fiction of 2023

With imaginative aplomb and abiding passion, The Syrian Ladies Benevolent Society masterfully traces the deep roots of the Arab immigrant experience. These unforgettable interlocking stories follow an Arab family as they flee the Middle East in the nineteenth century, settle in Montreal in the twentieth, and face the collision between tradition and modernity in the twenty-first. This family includes trailblazing Lebanese freedom fighters, undercover operatives in World War II, and brave Syrian refugees trying to find their place in Canadian society.

The line of daring women culminates in Azurée, a young Arab woman living in the echoes of her ancestors' voices.

Review Quotes

"The Syrian Ladies Benevolent Society is a brisk and exciting debut from a writer we can't wait to hear from again." -- Apple Books

"A genuine and compelling narrative ... The Syrian Ladies' Benevolent Society is smart, elegant, and a necessary contribution to the overall literature challenging so many suffocating cultural stereotypes in Canadian society." -- The Miramichi Reader

"Across the varying settings and time periods, what remains consistent is Estima's detailed and evocative prose as she weaves a haunting tale of how the pain of loss--whether of our home, our loved ones or our sense of self--reverberates across generations." -- Maisonneuve

"In writing across cultures, borders, and centuries, Estima credits her ancestors with direct inspiration: 'I hear your voices in my veins; you will not be forgotten.' Neither will Estima's enthralling writing." -- Shelf Awareness

"Memorable, vivid, and subversive at times, the stories bring to life a type of female experience seldom seen in immigrant narratives." -- New Canadian Media

"The material in these stories often does more than just flirt with dark subject matter, but the author's empathy and sharp understanding of human frailty nevertheless injects The Syrian Ladies Benevolent Society with the vibrancy of life. The book opens with a reference to fire, and Estima is a valiant recorder of the heat that burns us, inside and out." -- That Shakespearean Rag

"Years in the making, [The Syrian Ladies Benevolent Society] reveals a writer who is sure of her subject and craft ... Precise and sensitive." -- Literary Review of Canada