Told in vignettes that flash between the US and the Middle East, Zaina Arafat’s debut novel traces her protagonist’s progress from blushing teen to creative and confused adulthood. In Brooklyn, she moves into an apartment with her first serious girlfriend and tries to content herself with their comfortable relationship. Soon, her longings, so closely hidden during her teenage years, explode out into reckless romantic encounters and obsessions with other people which results in her seeking unconventional help to face her past traumas and current demons. Opening up the fantasies and desires of one young woman caught between cultural, religious and sexual identities, ‘You Exist Too Much’ is a captivating story charting two of our most intense longings – for love, and a place to call home.

Author Zaina Arafat Published by Dialogue Books ISBN 9780349701783 EAN 9780349701783 Bic Code Cover Hardback