Book description
WINNER OF THE PEN/FAULKNER AWARD FOR FICTION 2022
'A beautiful, well paced, enraging, funny and heartbreaking book' the Guardian
'Spectacular . . . Alameddine's irreverent prose evokes the old master storytellers from my own Middle Eastern home . . . deeply poignant' New York Times
Mina Simpson, a Lebanese doctor,…
Why read it?
1 author picked The Wrong End of the Telescope as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Basically, it’s a story about Syrian refugees who have made it to the Greek island of Lesbos.
I’ve been going to the same island – and indeed, village – for the last 20 years, and in 2015-2017 I personally worked extensively with the refugees. Alameddine’s portrayal of the place, people, and situation is perfect. It’s the first novel I read with a trans protagonist, in this case a female Lebanese doctor who comes for a week to help the refugees.
Structurally, the book is unique. Through short chapters (sometimes only a couple of pages long so they are more like…
If you love The Wrong End of the Telescope...
Between Memory and Oblivion
Set in the exotic and romantic realm of international rare bookselling, this is a story about protecting the written word against a digital world threatening to destroy it.
Michael Ashe, a young Los Angeles bookseller, must confront the fact that his once-thriving business is collapsing. Reading is in decline. Refusing…
Want books like The Wrong End of the Telescope?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Wrong End of the Telescope.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,367
readers submitted
so far, will you?
