Not Just Their Story, It’s Ours

We all know the feeling. Walking into a room, hearing the hum of conversation, and wondering, do I belong here? It might be a new school, a workplace, a family gathering, or even a place of worship. That moment of hesitation, of wanting to be part of something bigger yet fearing rejection, is one of the most human experiences we share.
Albert Hadi’s novel Rituals of Belonging takes that familiar ache and magnifies it through the lives of characters caught between two worlds. On one side is the homeland they left behind, rich with memories and loved ones who wait with hope, expecting that life abroad will bring back light. On the other side is the new country, demanding change, adaptation, and proof of worthiness. The result is a life lived in tension, where silence often replaces explanation, and where a smile must cover the sting of misunderstanding.
What makes this novel especially unique is how Hadi frames each chapter with a metaphor that reflects the struggle of belonging. The opening chapter, Entry to Purgatory, captures the disorientation of stepping into a liminal space, neither here nor there. Later chapters, such as The Grammar of Exile and The Performance of Belonging, illustrate how language, gestures, and even daily interactions become a stage where acceptance is tested. Titles like The Masquerade of Belonging and The Jester of Acceptance reveal the masks people wear to be tolerated, while The Distance Between Us and The Geography of Absence speak to the emotional gaps that remain even after years of trying to fit in. These metaphoric titles are not just poetic; they mirror the emotional landscape of anyone who has struggled with identity and acceptance.
But this book is not only about immigration. It is about the rituals we all perform to be accepted, whether we are newcomers in a foreign land or simply outsiders at home. The novel’s strength lies in showing how belonging is not granted easily. It often comes at the cost of hiding parts of ourselves, negotiating identity, and deciding how much to let go in order to fit in. Yet it also shows the quiet courage of holding on, of preserving memory and dignity while navigating the pressures of change.
Hadi’s voice comes from lived experience. Having spent decades straddling borders, he writes with a truth that resonates far beyond the immigrant journey. His novel is both intimate and universal, offering a mirror for anyone who has ever stood on the edge of a group, waiting for an invitation inside. It speaks to students trying to fit into a clique, professionals finding their place in an office culture, or neighbors hoping to be seen as more than strangers.
Rituals of Belonging is not about erasing difference or reshaping ourselves into what others expect. It is about the human longing to be accepted as we are, memory, history, and hope all intact. Its pages echo with the sacrifices, silences, and small acts of resilience that define what it means to find a home, not just a place to live.
What makes Rituals of Belonging so profoundly human is how it pulls back the curtain on something we all carry but rarely admit: the longing to be accepted without compromise. Whether we are immigrants or lifelong locals, children or elders, strangers or neighbors, the struggle is the same: to find a place where we are no longer outsiders but simply ourselves. That is why this novel speaks to everyone. It tells the story of our deepest human need.