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Paradiso 17 Traces a Palestinian Refugee’s Lifelong Search for Home
Paradiso 17 is a novel by Hannah Lillith Assadi.
It tells the story of a boy named Sufien.
He is forced to leave Palestine during the 1948 Nakba.
As he grows older, he lives in Kuwait, Italy, and the United States.
Sufien keeps looking for a place where he feels at home.
He also seeks belonging through love, family, and work.
Near the end of his life, he tells the story of everything he experienced.
The book was inspired by Assadi’s late father and is on the 2026 U.S. National Book Awards fiction longlist.
Hannah Lillith Assadi’s novel Paradiso 17 follows Sufien, who flees Palestine as a child during the 1948 Nakba.
Sufien spends his life moving through Kuwait, Italy, and the United States.
He searches for belonging through home, relationships, family, and work.
The story is narrated as Sufien recounts his life from his deathbed.
The novel is inspired by Assadi’s late father and appears on the 2026 U.S. National Book Awards fiction longlist.
- Who
- Hannah Lillith Assadi wrote the novel, which follows the character Sufien.
- What
- Paradiso 17 is a fiction novel about Sufien’s lifelong search for home and belonging after fleeing Palestine.
- Where
- The story moves through Palestine, Kuwait, Italy, and the United States.
- When
- Sufien flees Palestine during the 1948 Nakba; the novel is listed on the 2026 U.S. National Book Awards fiction longlist.
- Why
- Sufien searches for belonging through relationships, family, work, and the places where he lives.
Key facts
- Book
- Paradiso 17
- Author
- Hannah Lillith Assadi
- Main character
- Sufien
- Historical event
- The 1948 Nakba
- Locations
- Palestine, Kuwait, Italy, and the United States
- Narrative perspective
- Sufien recounts his life from his deathbed
- Recognition
- 2026 U.S. National Book Awards fiction longlist
- Inspiration
- Assadi’s late father
Sources
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