When the Love becomes a guest in The Book Corner

Last Sunday’s meeting was truly something special! We explored the theme of love, discussing its many layers and how it shapes our lives. The conversations were deep, emotional and pretty much rational building new ideas and reflections. It was amazing to see everyone sharing their thoughts, it reminded us all of how love, with all its mystery and power, connects us in ways we often can’t even explain!

We started by introducing the author of the book: Ahmad Al Hamdan, a 32-year-old Saudi writer with a deep love for storytelling. Despite studying mathematics at university, Ahmad has always been drawn to the world of books. So, he decided to pursue writing, unfazed by the contrast between his career and his passion. When asked, “Why do you write?” he simply answered “I write to live!”

The book we chose, *The City of Love Is Not Inhabited by the Sane*, was published in 2017 and tells the story of a man who once loved a woman but is no longer with her. Throughout the pages, he pours out his deep regret for his past complacency and lack of emotional expression towards her. He dreams of loving her more than ever if she were to return and imagines a future together. That's why he put his picture on the book's cover—so that if she ever sees it, she will instantly recognize him.

After this brief introduction to the book and its author, we dove into the content, starting with the title. “What is the city of love?” the speaker asked, “and most importantly, who are the sane?” These questions sparked a lively debate about the nature of love, emotions, the brain, and sanity. Many argued that emotions, including love, are governed by the brain, which controls all human actions and behaviors. But Sumar’s intervention added an unexpected twist. She shared a story about a girl who was murdered, and whose heart was donated to another young girl. To everyone’s amazement, this young girl began having nightmares about the murder, leading some to believe that the heart might have its own memory, its own engineering.

This revelation led us to discuss the concept of memory. In his book, the author describes memory as a devil and a curse. But what exactly is memory? Is it a part of the brain or a fictional storage of information? Nada answered with a scientific explanation, saying that science has proven the existence of a “recorder” in our brain, which we call memory. But why is this recorder selective? Why do we remember some things and forget others? And what about déjà vu?

Ibrahim then posed another challenging question: “Couldn’t we assume that the narrator of the book lacks emotional intelligence, given that he can’t move on from his past and seems unable to love in a healthy way?” With so many questions left unanswered, we decided to hold another book corner gathering soon, where we’ll explore emotional intelligence and the functioning of the brain with an expert.

"This gathering was a brand-new experience for me, as the book itself wasn’t something I initially felt connected to. But as always, our gatherings never disappoint. I walked away with a newfound realization of just how complex and vague love is. It’s the most important truth in the world; without it, the sun wouldn’t rise or set, and we wouldn’t even breathe, but we can’t fully understand it!" - Marina, Coordinator of The Book Corner