Fatima put her finger lovingly on my lips, cutting off the flow of what I thought we’d do in the future. I’d been speaking as though guided by my father’s words about what was to come. “Shhh,” she said. “We’ll keep on living, Saleem. We’ll keep on living. For now, let’s just enjoy this performance.”
Three days later, my father handed over his keys to me … without the bullet.
Three days after that, my father and Rosa departed for Germany.
After three more days, I learned that the young diplomat had been transferred to the Iraqi embassy in Berlin a week earlier.
Translator’s Acknowledgments
Many thanks to Muhsin for entrusting me with his novel and to Khaled al-Masri for guiding my work. Thanks also to Larry Rosenberg and Darlene Leafgren, my first two readers, for their encouragement and support.
Modern Arabic Literature
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Table of Contents
Halftitle Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Translator’s Acknowledgments
Modern Arabic Literature