Listen to a sample
The Coin
- Author
- Yasmin Zaher
- Narrator
- Sarah Agha
- Publisher
- Footnote Press
- Publish Date
- 18 July 2024
- Run Time
- 6 hours 3 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
- Rating
- 3.7 (3 reviews)
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What to expect
A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN DAZED, DEBUTIFUL AND THE INDEPENDENT
'A masterpiece' Slavoj Zizek | 'A filthy, elegant book' Raven Leilani | 'Glamorous and sordid' Elif Batuman
'Chipping away at Western hegemony one scalped it-bag at a time' New York Times
A bold and unabashed novel about a young Palestinian woman's unraveling as she teaches at a New York City middle school, gets caught up in a scheme reselling Birkin bags, and strives to gain control over her body and mind.
The Coin's narrator is a wealthy Palestinian woman with impeccable style and meticulous hygiene. And yet the ideal self, the ideal life, remains just out of reach: her inheritance is inaccessible, her homeland exists only in her memory and her attempt to thrive in America seems doomed from the start.
In New York, she strives to put down roots. She teaches at a school for underprivileged boys, where her eccentric methods cross boundaries. She befriends a homeless swindler, and the two participate in a pyramid scheme reselling Birkin bags.
But America is stifling her - her wilfulness, her sexuality, her principles. In an attempt to regain control, she becomes preoccupied with purity, cleanliness and self-image, all while drawing her students into her obsessions. In an unforgettable denouement, her childhood memories converge with her material and existential statelessness and the narrator unravels spectacularly.
In enthralling, sensory prose, The Coin explores nature and civilisation, beauty and justice, class and belonging - all while resisting easy moralising. Provocative, wry and inviting, The Coin marks the arrival of a major new literary voice.
User Reviews
Book 3.7
Narration 4.3
-
3.0 4.0
Didn’t really enjoy this book. I found the main character charmless and cold. Some interesting bits analysing mental health deterioration, but slow paced and a disappointing ending.
alison kaby 2026-09-23 -
5.0 5.0
Absorbing, entertaining and smart.
Emma J 2026-07-27
Details
- Author
- Yasmin Zaher
- Narrator
- Sarah Agha
- Duration
- 6 hours 3 minutes
- Release Date
- 18 July 2024
- ISBN
- 9781804441503
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- Footnote Press
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Narrative theme: sense of place
- Rating
- 3.7(3 reviews)
- Narration
- 4.3(3 reviews)
Synopsis
WINNER OF THE 2025 DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN DAZED, DEBUTIFUL AND THE INDEPENDENT'A masterpiece' Slavoj Zizek | 'A filthy, elegant book' Raven Leilani | 'Glamorous and sordid' Elif Batuman'Chipping away at Western hegemony one scalped it-bag at a time' New York TimesA bold and unabashed novel about a young Palestinian woman's unraveling as she teaches at a New York City middle school, gets caught up in a scheme reselling Birkin bags, and strives to gain control over her body and mind.The Coin's narrator is a wealthy Palestinian woman with impeccable style and meticulous hygiene. And yet the ideal self, the ideal life, remains just out of reach: her inheritance is inaccessible, her homeland exists only in her memory and her attempt to thrive in America seems doomed from the start.In New York, she strives to put down roots. She teaches at a school for underprivileged boys, where her eccentric methods cross boundaries. She befriends a homeless swindler, and the two participate in a pyramid scheme reselling Birkin bags.But America is stifling her - her wilfulness, her sexuality, her principles. In an attempt to regain control, she becomes preoccupied with purity, cleanliness and self-image, all while drawing her students into her obsessions. In an unforgettable denouement, her childhood memories converge with her material and existential statelessness and the narrator unravels spectacularly.In enthralling, sensory prose, The Coin explores nature and civilisation, beauty and justice, class and belonging - all while resisting easy moralising. Provocative, wry and inviting, The Coin marks the arrival of a major new literary voice.
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