The Man of Middling Height – Fadi Zaghmout (Author), Wasan Abdelhaq (Translator)

(Reviewed by JD Jung)

In most societies, identity and status are shaped by gender—and often, by the body parts we are born with. Jordanian author Fadi Zaghmount flips that concept on its head in his provocative speculative novel The Man of Middling Height.  Here, he imagines a world where height classification, not gender, defines power, privilege, and social boundaries.

In this society, people are differentiated by their height. The “Shorts” hold powerful positions, whereas the “Talls”, while totally accepted by society, are the equivalent of second-class citizens . These cultural norms are thought to have evolved from ancient history. Shorts are quick to react and therefore better at protecting their families. Talls are to consume less food while shorts are to eat more, which fuels their dominance.

These norms have turned into rigid cultural rules—Shorts and Talls may not socialize publicly, yet paradoxically, only marriages between the two groups are permitted. Same-height romantic relationships are strictly forbidden. But what happens to people of “average height?

We discover this as we read from the perspective of our narrator, a Short seamstress, who falls in love with Tallan, a man of middling height. Through their romance, we’re introduced to society’s customs, contradictions, and cruelties. As the love story unfolds, the absurdity of these entrenched norms becomes impossible to ignore.

Zaghmount who considers himself a “feminist sexual freedoms and body rights advocate” follows this through to make us think about society’s gender roles. Though this is addressed to the Arab world, it also holds true for the West.

What I appreciate about his approach is that he presents his characters in a nuanced fashion and tells the story through the characters’ interactions.

The Man of Middling Height is a gripping work of speculative fiction—thought-provoking, unsettling, and difficult to put down. Zaghmount’s imaginative story forces us to question the “natural” order of our own world, revealing just how arbitrary and dangerous such hierarchies can be.