The author does a very good job with this book! It may be a work of fiction, but since it is based on the reality of what it was like during the rule of Saddam Hussein from the experiences that Gina Wilkinson had while based in Baghdad as a former correspondent, it felt so real. This is told from the three viewpoints of Huda, Raina, and Ally. I liked all three women and it was easy to understand why they made the choices they made. Raina was a sheikh's granddaughter but has fallen on hard times in the new regime. She has a gallery and a daughter and Raina will do anything to protect her daughter. She and Huda are childhood friends reconnecting after a long time. Huda had it really hard being a reluctant informant (since she was lucky to get a job as a secretary for the Australian embassy) for the Mukhabarat who threatened her son, and bribed her and her husband for information about Ally. Ally was sweet, a bit naïve, and trying to find out about her mother (who had lived in Baghdad long ago before dying of cancer when Ally was young). She is a good person though and vital to Huda and Raina in their plans.
There is violence and fear but this is a good book and I am glad I read it, especially since it ended on a good note and was not a tragedy like it could have been.
There is violence and fear but this is a good book and I am glad I read it, especially since it ended on a good note and was not a tragedy like it could have been.