A tightly wrought tragedy that span two generations against the backdrops of the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the 2020 pandemic. This novel is that rare thing: a page-turner that doesn’t compromise on literary style and doesn’t reveal more than it needs to.

The conflict driving the plot is a love triangle that ends in murder. We meet Nadia, Amer, and Nawwaf on a beach trip, where the tragedy of their story that has been unfolding since their university days comes to a head. At the centre of events, though invisible to the adults, is Manayer, Nadia’s and Nawwaf’s child, whose life is shaped by the devastating consequences. A year later, the invasion and resulting chaos propels the devastation even further. The last chapter finds Manayer in the present day, mid pandemic, on her way to confront her father thirty years after the event that tore their worlds apart.

Approximate number of pages: 319 p.

Foreign rights: contact the author