The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)

The True True Story of Raja the Gullible | RABIH. ALAMEDDINE

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I loved this NBA nominee. Raja is a 60 year old queer man, living in Beirut. His mother has just moved in with him and they have a rather fractious, but hilarious relationship.

Raja looks back over Lebanese history which, of course, is a rather serious topic. He intersperses that with his own relationship history, which also has a serious side, but he is witty and loveable throughout. (And his mother is an absolute menace! 😝)

Ruthiella 🐶❤️🐶❤️🐶 2w

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 2w

Hooked_on_books This is my favorite from the shortlist. I love Raja and his relationship with his mom is hilarious. I am so impressed by how this author balances a light tone with weighty topics, which I think is hard to do. I would love to see this win, though I think it‘ll go to Majumdar. 2w

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Hooked_on_books

True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) | Rabih Alameddine

And here‘s the #NBAshortlist for fiction! I haven‘t cracked the Majumdar yet but am 2/3 through North Sun and really liking it, and have read the other 3. Today, my vote would go to Raja (tagged), as I absolutely loved it. I‘m very happy to see The Sisters not be here but am a little surprised Flournoy was left out, though I haven‘t read hers yet.

squirrelbrain Oh, I‘m glad you‘re enjoying North Sun. I really wasn‘t sure but capitulated and got it on Everand yesterday! Glad that The Sisters isn‘t there, but annoyed that I slogged my way through it. 🙄 2mo

Suet624 Somehow I lost track of the National Book Awards lists. Thanks for posting this. 2mo

Hooked_on_books @squirrelbrain I generally want to be a completist for these lists, so I‘m ok with having read The Sisters. I‘m just glad Audition wasn‘t longlisted, as I won‘t read it and then I couldn‘t complete. Isn‘t that silly! 2mo

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Hooked_on_books @Suet624 You‘re welcome! ☺️ 2mo

BarbaraBB Thank you, I guess I will read all of them eventually! 2mo

squirrelbrain You‘re as bad as me! 😜 2mo

Hooked_on_books @squirrelbrain I have no idea what you mean 😬😉 2mo

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Mattsbookaday

The True True Story of Raja the Gullible | RABIH. ALAMEDDINE

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The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother), by Rabih Alameddine (2025)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Premise: A queer resident of Beirut navigates the many crises of the past sixty years of his country‘s history.

Review: What makes this book so good is that somehow Alameddine makes it delightful and fun despite the very often serious subject matter. An unexpected but deserved choice for the National Book Award list!

TheKidUpstairs I loved this one, too! 2mo

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TheKidUpstairs

True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) | Rabih Alameddine

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This is an absolute gem of a book from the National Book Awards Longlist. A story of a life lived in Beirut, always keenly aware of the shadows of conflict, war, and corruption, but also embracing the vitality of life. Thoughtful and engaging, at times devastating and tense, but with a beautifully balanced humour throughout.

@squirrelbrain I think you'll like this, IMO it's worth the purchase!

LeahBergen Stacked! 2mo

squirrelbrain Weirdly, (or maybe psychically!) I ordered it on EBay about half an hour before I saw your post. 😜 2mo

TheKidUpstairs @squirrelbrain I hope you like it, too! 2mo

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Hooked_on_books

True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) | Rabih Alameddine

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Raja is a 60-something teacher in Beirut and his 80-something mom has just moved in with him. Their relationship is absolutely hilarious, and through it we see a bit of Lebanon, especially as we get the backstory of Raja‘s gay awakening during their civil war. The tone is masterful, maintaining humor while never diminishing serious events. I absolutely loved this.

#NBAlonglist, fiction

squirrelbrain Oh good, glad you loved it! I commented to @TheKidUpstairs that I can get this on EBay, otherwise it‘s Feb next year. I *can* get it on Kindle but it‘s (ca.99 - I‘d rather pay double that and get a *real* book! 2mo

Christine Oh wow, I‘ve been interested in this one and now much more so! 2mo

Hooked_on_books @squirrelbrain I prefer a “real” book, too! This is such a good one, with a great story and really masterful craft in the construction of it. I think you‘re going to love it! 2mo

Hooked_on_books @Christine I‘m so happy when an awards list elevates a book like this. It‘s just wonderful! 2mo

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TheKidUpstairs

True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) | Rabih Alameddine

"I began many a battle feeling indomitable and ending up prostrate and vanquished, my mother's flag fluttering, its pole staked right through my heart. I knew of no one else who could use sighs as a lethal weapon."

squirrelbrain Oooh, I‘ll be interested to hear what you think of this. It‘s on the NBA list but not out here until Feb although I can get a copy on eBay. 2mo

TheKidUpstairs @squirrelbrain so far so good. I didn't know Alameddine had a new book out until the NBA list came out, and it was available at one of my local libraries. I really enjoyed An Unnecessary Woman when I read it, so I was excited to pick it up. So far it's very witty, and the relationship between Raja and his mother is fabulous. But I'm only about 30 pages in, so fingers crossed it remains a winner! 2mo

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