by Rawi Hage
First published 2009
The narrator survives his attempt to hang himself from a tree in a frozen park during the harsh winter. Rescued and forced into therapy, he sits across from a well-meaning but inexperienced therapist and begins to tell his story. He describes his life as a thief in the smoky immigrant cafes of his adopted northern city, his childhood in a war-ravaged Arab nation, and the guilt that consumes him over his sister's death. Her husband killed her, and the narrator carries this weight alongside his love for Shoreh, an Iranian woman who has also fled from a dark past. As winter deepens around the city, the narrator must face a new moral crisis that threatens to turn deadly. His past and present collide as he confronts the question of whether he can break free from the violence that has shaped his life or whether he will perpetuate it.
Genres: drama, literary-fiction, crime, contemporary
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: Arab Nation, Iran, Northern City
Period: Harsh Winter
320 pages · Kindle Edition · Penguin Publishing
Content warnings: violence