Autumn Equinox

Book excerpt: Jabbour Douaihy's Autumn Equinox is the diary of a young man recently returned to his Lebanese village after attending college in the United States. It continues from the end of May through the September equinox of 1986, detailing his efforts to remake himself by his adjusting his reading, writing, and eating habits; his dress; his relationships. The diary begins with a description of an Israeli bombing in South Lebanon and ends with a description of refugee families fleeing to his village. Otherwise, the Lebanese Civil War intrudes very little into the narrative; however, violence is a constant undercurrent in the life of the village. America, is a far-away land of nostalgia. The village is here, at the center of the young man's narration, peopled by comic characters who insist on their unique identities and resist his attempts to be different. The Civil War and the Occupation, the author seems to be saying, are not the only sources of turmoil. Violence and revenge have long been part of the people's consciousness, and one might indeed need to redefine oneself in order to adapt to one's environment.