Lovers

SHORTLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE VICTORIAN PREMIER’S AWARD FOR FICTION ‘her writing is poetic and reverential. The author’s understanding of love, romance and of responsibility runs deep.’ – Books + PublishingWhat happens when we become used to each other, when we become bored, when we anticipate each other’s moods like the seasons cycled in a day? What happens when you are tired of me and I tire of you? Every couple has a story. How they met, how they fell in love – their ups, their downs. What made them want to be in each other's arms day and night. The struggle of family expectations. The need to please each other, the desire to go their separate ways. It is about the private universe between two people as they try to hold to each other despite the barriers of geography, culture and class. Every couple has a beginning, a middle, and maybe an end. The Lovers is an enchanting fable that explores the light and dark of a relationship – a love distilled down to its barest form. You might think you know this story. Maybe you do. PRAISE FOR THE LOVERS ‘Sometimes, Kassab shows us, love can be another word for cruelty. Sometimes the stories we hide behind reveal our deepest truths.’ - Sydney Morning Herald ‘Beautifully told in Yumna Kassab's poetic prose, The Lovers is both the story of the tumultuous relationship between Amir and Jamila and an exploration of class, culture and the complex nature of love.’ - Sunday Life ‘The delicate power that fables hold – their universality, while retaining their specificity – is captured in The Lovers. Ultimately, Kassab’s novel rests on the premise of the ‘impossibility of language, of being able to ever understand someone else.’’ - Artshub ‘a raw, haunting and honest look at love, relationships, and the moments that break us.’ - MamamiaPRAISE FOR YUMNA KASSAB ‘the real deal’ – Favel Parrett, author of Past The Shallows ‘rare it is to read a voice as crisp and authentic as Kassab’​ – Zoya Patel, author of No Country Woman ‘Kassab creates an eerie sense of place as the reader is drawn into myriad perspectives and geographies. Without doubt Australiana is an unnerving contribution to contemporary novel writing in this continent.’ – Books + Publishing on Australiana​ ‘The unadorned style and unobtrusive realism of this book mask, at first, how experimental and original it is in other ways’ – Sydney Morning Herald on The House Of Youssef ‘Kassab’s prose is unsparing and frank yet unstinting’ – Australian Book Review on The House Of Youssef​

‘her writing is poetic and reverential. The author’s understanding of love, romance and of responsibility runs deep.’, ‘Sometimes, Kassab shows us, love can be another word for cruelty. Sometimes the stories we hide behind reveal our deepest truths.’, ‘a raw, haunting and honest look at love, relationships, and the moments that break us.’, ‘The delicate power that fables hold – their universality, while retaining their specificity – is captured in The Lovers. Ultimately, Kassab’s novel rests on the premise of the ‘impossibility of language, of being able to ever understand someone else.’’, ‘Beautifully told in Yumna Kassab's poetic prose, The Lovers is both the story of the tumultuous relationship between Amir and Jamila and an exploration of class, culture and the complex nature of love.’

Yumna Kassab is a writer from Western Sydney. She studied medical science and neuroscience at university. Her first book of short stories, The House of Youssef, has been listed for prizes including the Victorian Premier's Literary Award, Queensland Literary Award, NSW Premier's Literary Award and The Stella Prize. Her second work of fiction, Australiana, was published in 2022.