Harare Review of Books

352 pages.

First published May 2, 2023 (And Other Stories)

Fiction (and non-fiction :))

This is the funniest, most tongue-in-cheek account of Iraqi life at the time of the US invasion that you’ll ever read, and the most empathetic, too. Politicians—local (the aspirers on the block), national, and international—are skewered. Sectarianism is mocked, and also grieved over. Colourful neighbours bring much laughter. The character at the centre of this brilliant novel is “Shalash the Iraqi,” anonymous blogger and self-confessed drunk, who relates the day-to-day of the period around the mid 2000s, as well as some soap-box monologues, in epistolary form. We’re told by the publisher that Shalash took Baghdad by storm, and these blog posts were printed and shared, but many were subsequently lost (and the site went defunct), which is a real pity. However, we have this book as a record of what remains, for which I am very glad.

Read for alt-pol, a hilarious send-up of an otherwise very seriously reported-about region of the world, the end of Saddam, and loads of local colour. I’m not sure any outsider could read a more lovely or loving portrayal of this place and people, or a more fiery criticism of the effects of US interventionism. This book is a truly beautiful way to cope with heartbreak and despair. Again, really excellent, and one of my favourite reads of the year.

Thank you to Edelweiss and to the publisher, And Other Stories, for access.

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