Love Is an Ex-Country

Throughout this absorbing memoir-in-essays, there are moments when you can hear laughter beneath author Randa Jarrar's narration. Her warm, no-nonsense tone adds levity to the heavy subject matter, which includes domestic abuse and sexual violence. But Jarrar's laughing voice, sly asides, and obvious affection for her friends and lovers also highlight what makes this audiobook so memorable: her exuberance, self-love, and pride in her identity as a fat, queer Arab- American woman. She writes about being a poor single mother, surviving an abusive marriage, discovering connection and safety in kinky sex, and the racism she faces as a woman of Arab descent in America. Layered and insightful, sometimes harrowing and sometimes funny, this is a powerful audiobook made even better by Jarrar's vulnerable yet playful narration.