First published 2017
Haris Abadi stands at the Turkish border, determined to cross into Syria and fight against Bashar al-Assad's regime. The Arab American carries a conflicted past and searches for a cause worth joining. Thieves rob him before he can make the crossing. Amir, a charismatic Syrian refugee and former revolutionary, takes Haris in. Amir's wife Daphne, a sophisticated woman marked by grief, also lives with them. Haris discovers that Daphne desperately wants to return to Syria too. His situation grows more complex as he questions his own motives. Is he a genuine radical or just an idealist? Which side does he truly support? Haris faces increasing frustration and helplessness as he struggles to find meaning in his choices. The novel examines his search for purpose against the backdrop of Syrian conflict and explores why people choose to believe in causes.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: idealism, identity-crisis, moral-ambiguity
Setting: Syria, Turkey
Period: 21st-century
365 pages · Hardcover · Thorndike Press Large Print
Content warnings: war