Written by Dr. Sanaa Ali Haraki and illustrated by Fouad Mezher, The Story of Zeina was published by Dar Annahda Al-Arabiyya with the clear aim of depicting a reality that has become widely observed nowadays, namely, divorce. The story simulates the mind of Zeina who is struggling with so many questions to which she finds no answers amid the bitter reality that her parents are parting.

“Rarely does my dad get angry. But when he does, he rages against Mother Nature’s fury. That’s what mom used to say and I could not understand why my mom, dad or even Mother Nature would get angry. Is it possible that my dad’s image had been broken in my mom’s eyes and shattered into pieces due to his violence which I have often heard her deplore, sometimes with a low voice and oftentimes out loud? Why does dad require mom to be calmer in order to live with her although he once told me that we should accept our loved ones as they are in order to live happily?”

As the story unfolds, the author exposes the impact of divorce on Zeina and the state of worry and confusion that dominates her throughout this distressing experience, until she finally meets her friend Hiba, who having suffered the same agony, advises her to examine the picture from all angles and try to move beyond pain and derive meaning from this life transition.

“Maybe this divorce is the beginning of a new life for all of us; my dad needs some space away from mom and I need some space away from their fights to go back to my books and life. It is enough for me to see them happy and to feel their love towards me and towards the life they have decided to continue apart.”