The Miraculous, 2024

"The story takes place in nineteen eighties and nineteen nineties Morocco. The protagonist, Ayur, is a miraculous child who survives a severe elephantiasis. He and his family encounter many hurdles and obstacles throughout his childhood and journey to recovery. She, a mysterious creature, that follows Ayur everywhere ever since his birth, is despised, feared, admired, and blamed by Ayur's mother who obsesses over her baby especially when he falls ill. Rabab, the mother, who recounts the events to Ayur orally, shares her many encounters with She. She recalls her meetings to her son imparting to him the many rituals and happenings she witnessed since his birth. The protagonist navigates through the stories and events of his life and tries to piece things back together by revisiting his dreams, memories, and personal encounters with the creature in order to make sense of his life journey. The main theme of the novel is the miraculous, thus the title: "The Miraculous." The thesis starts, in the beginning of the novel, with the miracle of existence, then birth. The sequence of events reflects the childhood conditions and world in which Ayur is born and with which he is contending. Every hurdle overcome is a miracle and a blessing. But just when things start to settle, Ayur's and his family's lives are shook again. If it isn't for the mother's resilience and sanctified intervention, Ayur wouldn't live to tell the tale." -- Abstract