The Final third of In Search of Fatima has no single emotional tone. It is a montage of very strong emotions, including defiance, hopelessness, and elation. However, the final third does include something that sets it greatly apart from the rest of the book: while the sections Palestine and England are mostly just the life experiences of Ghada Karmi, and her relationships with various countries and people- the final third is a deep reflection of what it means to be displaced, and representation of one woman’s search for the truth.  In this quote, Ghada speaks fervently to us about the emotional attachment that she forged by being an activist for Palestine, giving her something to fight for: “By the mid-1970s I had latched passionately onto the cause of Palestine as an inspiration, an identity, a reason for living” (399). This second quote takes place when Ghada  goes back to Palestine and tries to find her childhood home, finding instead, a new building on the site where it once stood, causing Ghada to fall into hopelessness: “Whatever is the point of struggling now… no one now remembers what we did or cares. It made no impact on events and things for the Palestinians have only gone downhill since then. Might as well accept we’re finished” (45-46). Upon hearing the call to prayer spreading through the old city, Ghada feels elation; “I closed my eyes in awe and relief. The story had not ended after all.” The final and most important piece of reflection in the entire book occurs in the last paragraph; “The story had not ended, after all. Not for them, at least, the people who still lived there, though they were now herded into reservations a fraction of what had been Palestine. They would remain and multiply and one day return, and maybe overtake. Their exile, undefined by space or time, and from where I was, there would be no return” (451). This final testament embodies the pain and hope of all displaced Palestinians. It would seem that Ghada wrote this book as a way of dealing with her own displacement, a gateway for the rest of the world to understand, and in so doing give Ghada herself legitimacy. Ghada’s last paragraph (the quote on page 451) mirrors my emotions when I am in my house in Jerusalem- every evening, the beautiful, wringing sound of the call to prayer reaches out over the land that has been so disputed for millennia, reminding the world that we are still there.

“The doors are gone, but the Keys remain”

My favorite part of the book is by far the third section. The first two sections are good, but the fact is that they only portray the life of one person, whose  journey, while interesting, is mostly one of a failed attempt at cultural integration, as well as of course some important, factual information about the takeover of Palestine. The last section of the book however paints a very real and touching picture of the plight of someone who has had the horrific epiphany of belonging nowhere.  The overwhelming confusion and emotional chaos brought about by displacement is truly life shattering- but despite that, Ghada Karmi has been able to record these thoughts  (mostly in the last third of the book) for all the world to see, and what’s more- she has not lost her hope, but reclaimed it.