Mother of All Pigs

The Sabas and Za'atar families have lived in a small Jordanian town for centuries. Descended upon by all manner of invader, they rely on the bric-a-brac smuggled in during the throes of war, the quality of which depends entirely on who's fighting. This time the action is in Syria, and the threat of ISIS lies just across the river. The water delivery is less frequent, but life in the town persists and Hussein Sabas is the Levant's only pig butcher, illegally selling chops, sausages, and hams, much to the chagrin of the local Imam. Smuggled in from Egypt, the swine is constantly artificially inseminated with Israeli contraband. A former Lieutenant in the Jordanian military, Hussein is familiar with covert operations, but the popularity of his porcine products (with all types of believers) is about to give him away. When a former soldier in his regiment arrives after a brief stint in Afghanistan as a mujahid, Hussein finds himself with yet another thing to hide. Along with everything else, his niece Muna from America is visiting for the first time, and the encounter with her totally Western granddaughter has forced Mother Fhadma to confront her sheltered life of obligations and servitude, first to her callous and enterprising brother Abu Za'atar, and then to her husband, now dead, and children, most of whom left Jordan for the States. Her youngest daughter Samira also has a big secret: she's joined the Syrian rebel cause, and spurred by Muna's freedom, becomes involved in a covert operation leading back to the mother of all pigs, changing all of their lives forever. Malu Halasa's debut is an intimate portrait of a family at a crossroads, of generational and cultural divides, the tug of family and the pull of war.

The Sabas family lives in a small Jordanian town that for centuries has been descended upon by all manner of invaders, and now Evangelical tourists. The community relies on the bric-a-brac smuggled in during the throes of war, the quality of which depends entirely on who's fighting. This time the action is in Syria, and the threat of ISIS lies just across the border. The water delivery is less frequent, but life in the town persists and Hussein Sabas is the Levant's only pig butcher, selling all manner of chops, sausages, and hams, much to the chagrin of his observant neighbors. His source is the Mother of All Pigs, an illicitly trafficked sow. A former Lieutenant in the Jordanian military, Hussein is familiar with black ops, but the popularity of his porcine products is about to give him away. When a former soldier in his regiment arrives, after a brief stint in Afghanistan as a mujahideen, Hussein finds himself with yet another thing to hide. Complicating matters, his niece Muna from America is visiting for the first time, and the encounter with her totally Western granddaughter has forced Mother Fadhma to confront her sheltered life of obligations and servitude, first to her callous and enterprising brother Abu Za'atar, and then to her husband, now dead, and children, most of whom left Jordan for the states. Her youngest daughter Samira also harbors a dangerous secret: she's joined the Syrian rebel cause, and becomes involved in a covert operation leading back to the mother of all pigs, that will change this family forever.

The Sabas family lives in a small Jordanian town that for centuries has been descended upon by all manner of invader, the latest a scourge of disconcerting Evangelical tourists. The border town relies on a blackmarket trade of clothes, trinkets, and appliances -- the quality of which depends entirely on who's fighting -- but the conflict in nearby Syria has the place even more on edge than usual.

Meanwhile, the Sabas home is ruled by women -- Mother Fadhma, Laila, Samira, and now, Muna, a niece visiting from America for the first time -- and it is brimming with regrets and desires. Clandestine pasts in love, politics, even espionage, threaten the delicate balance of order in the household, as generations clash. The family's ostensible patriarch -- Laila's husband Hussein -- enjoys no such secrets, not in his family or in town, where Hussein is known as the Levant's only pig butcher, dealing in chops, sausages, and hams, much to the chagrin of his observant neighbors.

When a long-lost soldier from Hussein's military past arrives, the Sabas clan must decide whether to protect or expose him, bringing long-simmering rivalries and injustices to the surface. Enchanting and fearless, Halasa's prose intertwines the lives of three generations of women as they navigate the often stifling, sometimes absurd realities of everyday life in the Middle East.