Koolaids – Rabih Alameddine

Description

Koolaids is a daring and unconventional literary novel that intertwines the devastation of the AIDS crisis with the brutality of the Lebanese Civil War. Told through fragments, shifting voices and vivid snapshots, it portrays a group of friends and families whose lives are fractured by loss, memory and mortality. From tragic news reports to witty exchanges with the living and the dead, the novel captures the sense of dislocation and chaos that defines an era of upheaval.

Rabih Alameddine uses vignettes, hallucinations and sharp bursts of humour to explore how people cope with grief, identity and survival in a world that feels increasingly fragmented. The narrative style mirrors the brokenness of the characters’ experiences, making the book both experimental and emotionally resonant.

Bold, haunting and often darkly funny, Koolaids is a powerful choice for readers drawn to boundary-pushing literary fiction that examines love, war and the fragility of human connection.