Hala Alyan’s Story of Exile, Addiction and Surrogacy: ‘I Had to Do Something with the Fragments’

Hala Alyan’s story of exile, addiction and surrogacy: ‘I had to do something with the fragments’

In her new memoir, the Palestinian American writer reflects on her fractured lineage and having a child against all oddsIn the poem Hours Ghazal, published in 2024, Hala Alyan writes: “The cost of wanting something is who you are on the other side of getting it.” The line is a glimpse into the mind of a woman, who, at 38, has paid a high price for desire and emerged intact after living through what might feel like several lifetimes for the rest …

Book Review: ‘I’ll Tell You When I’m Home,’ by Hala Alyan

In “I’ll Tell You When I’m Home,” the Palestinian American writer Hala Alyan draws on her life experiences and her family’s multiple displacements across generations.