An Unnecessary Woman

An Unnecessary Woman (2014), a novel by Lebanese American author and painter Rabih Alameddine, tells the story of 72-year-old Aaliya Saleh, a literature-loving recluse in Beirut, as she grapples with growing older and reflects on past sorrows and joys, often with great insight and humor. An Unnecessary Woman won the Prix Femina étranger and received nominations for the National Book Award for Fiction, the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, and the PEN Open Book Award.

The novel opens as Aaliya recounts the time she accidentally dyed her hair blue. She has just completed her translation of a novel called Austerlitz, and she has a couple of glasses of red wine to mark the occasion. Distracted by her accomplishment and perhaps too much wine, she uses an excessive amount of a new shampoo designed to conceal, or at least quell white hair. Though she doesn't consider herself a particularly vain person, Aaliya had overheard "three witches"—her nosy neighbors—gossiping about how white her hair is, prompting her to do something about it. Or try to, at any rate. But she takes the impromptu dye-job all in stride, assuming the color will inevitably fade.

The next day, Aaliya's stepbrother drops their mother off to stay with her. This is news to Aaliya, considering she's been estranged from the family for some time. She was the child of her mother and her mother's first husband, and after his death at age 21, her mother remarried and had five more children. But her mother and stepfamily never had much use for Aaliya, and she consciously chose to step out of their lives, with the hope they would not interfere with hers, either. Lately, however, she has heard talk that, since Aaliya's stepfather divorced her mother, her mother and the rest of the family want Aaliya's spacious apartment. And now, here comes Aaliya's mother, barreling into the apartment and screaming.



The building’s landlady, Fadia, hears the screaming and orders Aaliya's mother and stepbrother out of the apartment. Her neighbors, hearing the ruckus, emerge from their apartments and try to comfort Aaliya.

Shaken by the day's events, Aaliya calms herself by walking around the neighborhood, a place she has called home for the last five decades. She reflects on various episodes from her life there, such as the years she worked at the bookstore, the time she bought a gun, and the albums she purchased at the record shop to cultivate her appreciation for music.

When she finally arrives back at her door, she sees that Fadia has left her a homecooked meal.



The following day, Aaliya goes to thank Fadia for the meal and runs into the three witches who live in her building. They invite her to join them for coffee, but she declines, making the excuse that she has plans to go to the National Museum. She hopes a trip to the museum will help her feel better after all the upset of the day before. The museum is one of her favorite places, as it allows her to lose herself in all the extraordinary art.

Unfortunately, there is no escape or nourishment to be found at the museum. The place is overrun with annoying tourists, and two little boys keep wreaking havoc and disturbing her enjoyment of the art. She finally decides to leave, but before she does, she seeks out a place to hide and silently cry for a few moments.

After leaving the museum, Aaliya, without thinking, goes to her mother's apartment. There, Aaliya sees Nancy, her great-niece, whom she has never met before. When Aaliya's mother complains of aching feet, Aaliya and Nancy give the old woman a pedicure.



Later, as she makes her way back home, Aaliya remembers her only friend Hannah, her "one intimate," who killed herself several years before. Aaliya still does not know why Hannah chose to commit suicide, which has left her wondering what she could have done to save her friend. Aaliya misses Hannah desperately, especially their shared love of literature and how they used to read to one another.

When Aaliya wakes up the next morning, her neighbors inform her that a pipe has burst in her spare bedroom, flooding the apartments below. This news panics Aaliya. That bedroom is where she stores all the of the dozens of books she has translated by hand. Fortunately, her neighbors help her dry the pages, talking as they do so.

Throughout their conversation, the women suggest to Aaliya that she try not to be so formal and structured in her approach to her translation work. This never occurred to her before, so she considers a few possibilities for her next book, as well as some ways she might approach the work differently.



Later, she has lunch with her friend Marie-Thérèse. Over coffee, she learns that she and Marie-Thérèse share a love of Anna Karenina. This brings a spark of genuine human connection back to Aaliya's life, recalling memories of Hannah; Aaliya once more has something to look forward to.