Such Sweet Sorrow

  • Boy meets Girl: a love story between French lightness, German seriousness, and Shakespearean tragedy
  • ▶️ Watch the author introduce her book in English here
  • 🎧 Listen to an English audio sample of Such Sweet Sorrow on our Podcast Catch of the Day
  • Topics: Love and politics, meet cute, political divide, Middle East discourse, Israel, Palestine, Berlin, Paris, Marseille


English sample translation available here

A modern-day Romeo & Juliet caught up in the Middle East discourse

When Julian spots Myriam in a Marseille karaoke bar, he can't look away. A conversation, a duet, and an illegal trip to the top of a construction site, their connection feels special. Myriam feels it too: this is different from anything she's ever experienced before. They are both young, well-read, critical and enchanted by the magic and lightheartedness of Marseille as backdrop to their love story. And yet, they lose touch when they return to their lives, Myriam to Paris and Julian to Berlin.

Their paths cross again in Berlin when Myriam arrives for her PhD. Yet, post-October 7, their worlds are divided, each standing on opposing sides. In "Such Sweet Sorrow", Nora Haddada masterfully weaves a tale of love, sex, political discourse, and the tragedy of our times.

 "Clever, profound, and subtly ironic (...) I couldn't put it down." - Benedict Wells

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Arabic (Kotopia), Spanish (Circulo de Tiza)

  • Publisher: S. FISCHER
  • Release: 10.09.2025
  • ISBN: 978-3-10-397716-5
  • 240 Pages
  • Author: Nora Haddada
Such Sweet Sorrow
Nora Haddada Such Sweet Sorrow
Olga Blackbird
© Olga Blackbird
Nora Haddada

Nora Haddada, born in 1998, studied Creative Writing and Literary Studies in Hildesheim, Berlin, and Paris. Her debut novel "Nichts in den Pflanzen" was published in 2023 by Ecco/HarperCollins. She lives in Berlin and Paris.