"The native and immigrant Palestinians in Sahar Mustafah's Code of the West live in a world where the threat of violence is part of their existence. Some of these characters exist within their own ethnic enclave, while others travel beyond to unexpected locations. What deeply resonates are the ways Mustafah captures the textures of her characters' lives, the atmosphere of their homes and families, certain quiet scenes where some unexpected connection or depth of feeling enters, and we are reminded of Chekhov's observation that heartbreak or great changes can arrive at the most ordinary of moments." David Mura, author of Turning Japanese: Memoirs of a Sansei and Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire (a novel)