An Unnecessary Woman Summary
Rabih Alameddine

An Unnecessary Woman Overview

An aging introvert takes stock of the usefulness of her life in the novel “An Unnecessary Woman” by Rabih Alameddine. In this character sketch, 72-year-old Aaliya Saleh has just finished translating the novel “Austerlitz” into Arabic and is searching for the perfect book to next translate. Although Aaliya is introverted, her life has not been dull. Throughout the course of the three days the book covers, Aaliya she shares memories of Beirut during the civil war and tales of her best friend Hannah all mixed in with her quick humor and appreciation of great literature.