Just Finished Reading: The Attack by Yasmina Khadra (FP: 2005) [257pp] 

Tel Aviv, Israel. They heard the explosion from the hospital so had already started preparing for the casualties before they arrived. Dr Amin Jaafie saved lives that day but lost some too. The bomb had done its work well. The restaurant had been destroyed and 11 people including children lay dead. Exhausted by the time he returned home he barely had time to register that his wife had not yet returned from visiting her mother before he fell into a deep dreamless sleep. Only hours later the phone rang asking, ordering, him back to the hospital in the early hours of the morning. His wife had been found dead at the bombsite. Before he could even process the news, he was told that her wounds were consistent with those of a suicide bomber. His wife of 15 years was responsible for the attack. With that one call Dr Jaafie's world began to fall apart. How could she do this? How could she have become radicalised without him knowing or realising? Who had changed her and how could she leave him in such a way? Despite the warnings from the authorities, he was going to find the answers to these questions no matter the cost. But Dr Jaafie is unprepared for the answers he will find. His secular lifestyle and insulation from the realities of the region and its history of conflict are about to be called into question like never before. 

As usual I picked this up around 20 years ago because it 'looked different' and then, again as usual, it sat in a pile of books untouched until recently. I had a fair idea what to expect from the blurb but honestly didn't expect how intense it turned out to be. Dr Jaafie is a great character. His world falls apart organically after the initial shock so it's not hard to feel every emotion he goes through from confused denial to grief to anger to self-destructive rage. It is not a pleasant journey for him or for the reader! Being initially isolated from the conflict he comes to it as the reader does – partially informed (or misinformed) - and slowly uncovers the reality of life for Arabs under occupation. The well drawn characters he meets along the way – from extended family members to hardened terrorists are all nuanced with realistic backstories and motivations. Not once did I roll my eyes or find myself ejected from the narrative. These people were real. Likewise, the situation 'on the ground' and the environment Dr Jaafie moved through felt like watching an in-depth documentary or well researched docudrama. 

As you might imagine from this brief overview (and especially with the ongoing genocide in Gaza) this is not a read for the faint of heart. Apart from the rollercoaster of emotions the doctor goes through as he investigates his wife's death this is very much about the costs and consequences of terrorism in all of its bloody reality. It is, however, a far, far cry from a sensationalist thriller. It hits HARD but is worth the emotional capital you'll need to turn the pages. I can't say that I 'enjoyed' the experience but I'm definitely glad that I finally picked this up to read. More to come from this author – that's a given. 

Translated from the French by John Cullen.