The Ghannam family’s move does not mean the same thing to everyone.

For Adam, Guelph offers freedom: his own room, a backyard to practice soccer drills, and the space to reinvent himself. For Layla, Adam's older and more sentimental sister, leaving Toronto resurfaces the isolation of her childhood. 

When the decades of occupation in their homeland escalates to everyday discussion in the West, Layla returns to the shadow-puppet bedtime stories Adam once loved, and to the untouched treehouse in the backyard. Adam learns that living in his sister's shadow is not a cause to refute, but a claim that leads him home. 

***
 
This book was funded by the Toronto Arts Council. As this project moves forward, a portion of its proceeds will be directed toward Palestinian cultural and educational initiatives. Partnerships are currently being identified, and transparency will follow as they are finalized. This is not charity, but an acknowledgement that writing circulates within material economies, and that Palestinian institutions exist not as abstractions, but as contemporary and ongoing presences.