Crescent, By Diana Abu-Jaber

To Where We Belong: Losing and Finding Home
Conventional wisdom has it that home is an individual’s place of residence, typically with four walls and a roof. However, in her novel, Crescent, Diana Abu-Jaber draws light to the idea that home is not where one is from, but rather where one belongs. And sometimes, that sense of belonging associated with home cannot be found caged within four walls, but rather, is found in another individual. Abu-Jaber depicts this thought through Sirine’s continuous struggle to where she belonged, and how her restlessness was alleviated in Han’s presence. Similarly, Boniface expresses the confliction that comes with losing and finding home in his song “I Will Not Return as a Tourist.” Both Crescent and “I Will
In Crescent, Sirine’s confusion in regard to her identity was amplified as she struggled to balance her two cultures being the child of an immigrant. While living in Tehrangeles helped to keep her two cultures intact, at times her internal monologue would hint at her confliction. Her feelings of misplacement were emphasized as she said, “I guess I’m always looking for my home, a little bit. I mean, even though I live here, I have this feeling that my real home is somewhere else somehow” (118). Sirine, an Iraqi-American, was brought up by her uncle after her parent’s early deaths. Having lived in America her whole life, she does not know much about Arab culture and cannot speak Arabic. The only real link to her culture before meeting Han was the Middle Eastern food she cooked at Um Nadia’s Cafe. After meeting Han and listening to his recollections of Iraq, she begins to think of her connection to their shared homeland more and more. Iraq is a bridge between the two individuals, and ends up binding the two together through a connection that is much more intimate than mere physical romance. As Diana Abu-Jaber eloquently put it, “The elements inside Han and herself had called to each other, like the way ingredients in a dish speak to each other” (318). Sirine and Han found a safe place to rest their souls within the other. They had found the home they craved so much, not as a place, but as
However, her sense of belonging slowly changes as she learns more about Han. Sirine wonders, “She never wants to go anywhere, she thinks. She never wants to leave her home. But that night when work is over, she goes back to Han’s apartment again” (153). Han’s words and stories bring back her own memories from her younger years, when her parents were still alive. These memories, which Sirine had tried so desperately to bury, were brought back to the surface through Han’s talks of his home back in Iraq. As she begins to realize how much she misses having a home and somewhere to belong, she is drawn to Han due to his shared experiences of heartache and loss. She finds the home full of safety and calm in Han, the home which she never had growing up.
Furthermore, in his song, Boniface confesses, “I can’t keep up with my mind / It’s always rushing to the next love / But when I return I swear it will not be as a tourist” (34-36). These lyrics parallel Sirine’s situation, who had never been in a truly committed relationship before Han. After he finds himself, Boniface promises to not return as a “tourist.” Just as a tourist is temporary and does not settle down, Sirine never left her heart in a place for too long. After she finds herself through Han, she realizes that perhaps settling down with someone might not be so