“Sitt Shadid scoops me up in a bear hug, sweeping me into her round softness. I haven’t been hugged, really hugged, in so long... But Sitt Shadid pats and rubs my back, and I relax. I reach across her wide arms, my cheek to her neck. She smells like jasmine flowers and olive soap.”

“Sitt Shadid scoops me up in a bear hug, sweeping me into her round softness. I haven’t been hugged, really hugged, in so long... But Sitt Shadid pats and rubs my back, and I relax. I reach across her wide arms, my cheek to her neck. She smells like jasmine flowers and olive soap.”

— Zeyn Joukhadar