{"product_id":"the-true-true-story-of-raja-the-gullible","title":"The True True Story Of Raja The Gullible","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine | National Book Award Winner\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)\u003c\/strong\u003e by Rabih Alameddine is a witty, poignant, and deeply human literary novel about family, memory, identity, grief, trauma, and the complicated bond between a mother and her son. Winner of the \u003cstrong\u003e2025 National Book Award for Fiction\u003c\/strong\u003e, the novel combines tragicomic storytelling with a sweeping portrait of life in Lebanon across six decades. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout This Book\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSixty-three-year-old Raja lives with his elderly mother, Zalfa, in a small Beirut apartment. A philosophy teacher who values books, solitude, order, and personal privacy, Raja finds himself continually challenged by his mother's intense curiosity about every part of his life.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen Raja receives an invitation to an all-expenses-paid writing residency in America, he hopes the opportunity will give him some distance from his mother and from the painful events that have recently affected his life and country. Instead, the experience prompts him to revisit memories, relationships, betrayals, and moments of personal and national upheaval that he would rather leave behind.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMoving across six decades, the novel explores Raja's life alongside major events and crises in Lebanon. Through his distinctive voice, Rabih Alameddine balances humour with grief and examines how family, identity, sexuality, memory, trauma, and forgiveness can shape a person's understanding of the past and present. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat You’ll Discover\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRaja and Zalfa:\u003c\/strong\u003e Explore the complicated, funny, and deeply affectionate relationship between an adult son and his fiercely inquisitive mother.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSix decades of memory:\u003c\/strong\u003e Follow Raja's life across different periods as past experiences resurface and gain new meaning.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFamily and identity:\u003c\/strong\u003e Examine how family relationships, sexuality, personal history, and cultural expectations influence identity.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLebanon and its history:\u003c\/strong\u003e Experience a personal story shaped by the wider political and social upheavals of modern Lebanese life.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTrauma and resilience:\u003c\/strong\u003e Consider how people continue living, loving, and finding humour despite profound personal and collective difficulties.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrief and forgiveness:\u003c\/strong\u003e Explore the difficult process of confronting loss, betrayal, memory, and the possibility of reconciliation.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHumour amid hardship:\u003c\/strong\u003e Discover how comedy and absurdity can coexist with painful experiences and serious subjects.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLove and human connection:\u003c\/strong\u003e At its heart, encounter a story about the complicated forms love can take within families and between people.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003ePerfect For\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eReaders of literary and contemporary fiction\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eFans of award-winning novels and the National Book Award\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eReaders interested in Lebanese and Middle Eastern literature\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eFans of LGBTQ+ literary fiction\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eReaders who enjoy multigenerational family stories\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eBook clubs seeking emotionally rich and thought-provoking fiction\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy You’ll Love This Book\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe True True Story of Raja the Gullible\u003c\/strong\u003e finds humour and tenderness within difficult experiences, creating a portrait of a man looking back at the events, relationships, and choices that have shaped his life. Raja's relationship with his mother provides the emotional centre of a story that expands into questions of memory, identity, belonging, trauma, and forgiveness.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith its distinctive voice, tragicomic tone, richly layered history, and complex mother-son relationship, this paperback is a compelling choice for readers who appreciate literary fiction that can be simultaneously funny, heartbreaking, thoughtful, and deeply compassionate.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rabih Alameddine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54604223971603,"sku":"BY13.6103","price":660.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0812\/4494\/6707\/files\/TheTrueTrueStoryofRajatheGullible.webp?v=1787560548","url":"https:\/\/booksandyou.in\/products\/the-true-true-story-of-raja-the-gullible","provider":"Books and You","version":"1.0","type":"link"}