Midnight Muse

This tale covers six decades of a Lebanese family in Beirut, Lebanon and is told through the eyes of, Raja, a 63 year old gay man sharing an apartment with his Mother. I can't tell you too much about the story because I fear it would be a plot spoiler, but Raja recounts the story of his life as a beloved local high school philosophy teacher and the trials and travails of coming of age in an often violent landscape. Often self isolating, Raja finds himself often being unwillingly pulled into relationships with varied people in his community by his elderly Mother, Zalfa, a bonafide social gadfly. Throughout the book, Raja confronts his family's story, his homeland, and the tragic, violent events that have shaped his life. The story is heartbreaking, horrifying, infuriating, joyful, darkly hilarious at times, and yet absolutely beautiful and filled with love.