Rabin Alameddine is a Lebanese-American writer born in Jordan in 1959. Alameddine worked as an engineer before starting to write and paint full-time. Alameddine's debut novel is Koolaids (1998), which discusses the AIDS epidemic in the United States of America and the Civil War in Lebanon. Since 1998, Alameddine has written six other novels, among them The Perv Stories (1999), The Hakawari (2008), An Unnecessary Woman (2014), and The Angel of History (2016). Alameddine's last novel is The Wrong End of the Telescope (2021).
The Wrong End of the Telescope is about Mina Simpson, a humanitarian expert working for a Swedish nongovernmental organization that helps refugees. Mona is a medical surgeon based in the United States of America. Mona is a lesbian, and she left her home several years ago because society disapproved of her sexuality. After several years, Mona returns to the Island of Lesbos, where she was born, to help her friend, Emma, provide medical care for the refugees. Mona also hopes to reconnect with her only brother and close relatives who stood by her when society turned against her. The novel explores Mona's journey as a lesbian and society's perception of her sexuality. In the United States of America, members of the LGB community have rights like any other person. However, Arab nations are yet to accept the LGB community because it is perceived as ungodly.
Alameddine's The Wrong End of the Telescope is a spectacular novel that received a positive reception globally. The New York Times Book Review describes The Wrong End of the Telescope as a stunning novel highlighting human absurdity. The Economist describes The Wrong End of the Telescope as a compelling novel that blends cynicism and hope while highlighting human suffering. The Self Awareness listed the novel as The Best Book of 2021. The Wrong End of the Telescope won The Faulkner Award for Fiction in 2022. In 2023, The Wrong End of the Telescope was the finalist for Joyce Carol Oates Prize.
