Struggling to Bloom in the Shadows of Men

My first impression of When The Apricots Bloom is that this book is the story of three women, not so different at heart, each struggling to make the best of their lives. Each of these ladies are currently residing in the city of Baghdad under the rule of Saddam Hussein and as such their lives are very much dictated by the whims of men. Rania and Ally have varying degrees of freedom as one is a widow and business owner while the other is a foreigner and wife to deputy ambassador. While Huda has the untraditional advantage of working for a foreign embassy she is required to adhere to the demands of the mukhabarat as well as those of her unemployed husband. Huda and Rania spent their formative years growing up together before being separated for as many years as they had once shared. Ally lost her mother and was uprooted to Australia with her father. After losing her father Ally's husband Tom is then appointed to the embassy in Baghdad and it is during this timeframe in which the story takes place.