Like an experienced stand-up comic, Maged Zaher knows to pause and let the audience laugh before he moves on to the next set-up and punchline. Like a good performance poet or storyteller, he knows to pause to let the audience experience the grief described vicariously before plunging on. Zaher's book is full of funny moments but also deeply sad ones. They often occur simultaneously. That is the nexus where so much magic happens in art. The Beatles' song "HELP!" came to mind while I read the book the second time. I remembered the day in childhood when I first paid attention to the lyrics, after hearing the song many times without focusing on them. I remembered the disjointed feeling when I realized how depressing the song was. How could such a sad song also sound so fun and upbeat at the same time? Zaher's book has some of that same quality – smiling through the tears, accepting the dark beauty of melancholy.
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