THE COIN, by Yasmin Zaher

Halfway through Yasmin Zaher's debut novel, “The Coin,” the unnamed narrator, a Palestinian schoolteacher in New York City, arrives at the Hermès flagship store on Paris's Rue Saint-Honoré to buy a Birkin.

In Yasmin Zaher's debut novel, "The Coin," the unnamed narrator, a Palestinian schoolteacher living in New York City, embarks on a peculiar mission. Driven by a desire to defy the unjust system that has deprived her of her inheritance, she sets out to purchase Birkin bags from the Hermès flagship store in Paris and resell them at a premium to the "trashy and unworthy."

As she navigates the opulent world of high-end accessories, the narrator reflects on her past and the events that shaped her present. She recalls a vivid dream about the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Gazan Muhammad al-Durrah during the second intifada, an incident that left an enduring mark on her consciousness.

Throughout the novel, Zaher deftly weaves together these disparate threads, exploring the complex relationship between capital, identity, and the enduring legacy of trauma.