Yasmin Zaher's Debut Novel 'The Coin' Explores Palestinian Identity Through a Wealthy New York Narrator

Yasmin Zaher's debut novel 'The Coin' features a wealthy Palestinian narrator living in New York, who teaches at a school for deprived boys while grappling with control and identity. The character obsessively cleans her apartment, designer wardrobe, and classroom, reflecting a family emphasis on cleanliness as a form of control. Her wealth comes from an allowance she cannot control, and she struggles with relationships, a distant connection to her homeland, and student rebellions. The novel uses minimalist, aphoristic prose to critique expectations of Palestinian identity, referencing themes from Bret Easton Ellis's 'American Psycho' (1991). It explores immigrant experiences, pretense in fashion and education, and bizarre methods like scamming and immersive installation art to maintain grip on reality. Published by Footnote, the hardcover is priced at £14.99. The narrator's musings on orgasm as dignity highlight the novel's defiance of stereotypes about homelessness and agency.