The Center for Fiction Presents Hannah Lillith Assadi on Paradiso 17 with Colum McCann

Join us for an evening with Hannah Lillith Assadi as she discusses her intimate, sweeping new novel Paradiso 17 with internationally bestselling author Colum McCann (Twist).

Already hailed as a major new work on the legacy of the 1948 Nakba, Paradiso 17 follows protagonist Sufien on a restless search for belonging that takes him from a blue-doored home in Palestine to Kuwait, Italy, New York, and the wide deserts of Arizona. Loosely inspired by Assadi’s father, the novel traces a life shaped by displacement, love, and loss, offering a lyrical and deeply personal portrait of war, migration, and the fragile resilience that carries us forward.

Assadi and McCann will discuss the book and the power of literature to illuminate, challenge, and connect us across borders and generations. A Q&A and signing will follow.