Firsthand memory of US-inflicted atrocity inoculates Hiroko against American exceptionalist narratives

Evidence

Even though Hiroko experiences the same sympathy and desire to reach out to the bereaved, her sense of loss is tempered by the personal recollection of a previous experience of unimaginable brutality—inflicted of course by the United States—that prevents her from accepting the seductive myths of U.S. innocence and exceptionalism circulating at this time. — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 428

Categorization

Category: Contrarian or Surprising Claims

• XREF: Directly parallels the post-9/11 critique that Naqvi and Hamid stage — refusing ‘we are all Americans’ solidarity through prior experience.
• SEED: Angle: how novels use a displaced witness’s memory to refuse compulsory post-9/11 solidarity.