Wilkinson’s writing is atmospheric and riveting that brings readers into the heart of Iraq during the tyrannical reign of Saddam Hussein. No one can be trusted; friendships are fragile and dangerous.
Huda is a secretary at the Australian embassy and has been ordered by the mukhabarat - Iraqi secret police to become an informant and befriend Ally Wilson, the deputy ambassador’s wife. They threaten to put her young son into the fayadeen (brutal militia that is known to kill women & children). As she gets to know Ally, Huda struggles with her own morals and wonders if they would have been friends in different circumstances. Unbeknownst to her, Ally has her own perilous secrets. As Ally has her own motives, she fails to realize that as a white woman in a foreign country her actions and words can be fatal to her & those around her. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you? Two can keep a secret only when one of them is dead.”
Rania lived a privileged life as a sheikh’s daughter and has known Huda since childhood. More specifically, in the prologue of the novel, they swore to be “blood sisters” & to never have secrets. Fast forward 25 years, betrayal, heart break and too many dark secrets have torn their friendship apart. Rania’s wealth is gone, and she is fighting to keep her 14 year old daughter from Hussein’s infamous son, Uday known to rape, torture and kill young girls.
As their paths intersect, each woman’s hidden past comes to the forefront. Their lives are in the hands of the oppressive dictatorship of Saddam Hussein & his men. Forgiveness, friendship, and a mother’s love may be what ties these three women together to fight for their lives & future.
“In that moment, past and future, loyalty and betrayal, all seemed to collide”.
Huda is a secretary at the Australian embassy and has been ordered by the mukhabarat - Iraqi secret police to become an informant and befriend Ally Wilson, the deputy ambassador’s wife. They threaten to put her young son into the fayadeen (brutal militia that is known to kill women & children). As she gets to know Ally, Huda struggles with her own morals and wonders if they would have been friends in different circumstances. Unbeknownst to her, Ally has her own perilous secrets. As Ally has her own motives, she fails to realize that as a white woman in a foreign country her actions and words can be fatal to her & those around her. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you? Two can keep a secret only when one of them is dead.”
Rania lived a privileged life as a sheikh’s daughter and has known Huda since childhood. More specifically, in the prologue of the novel, they swore to be “blood sisters” & to never have secrets. Fast forward 25 years, betrayal, heart break and too many dark secrets have torn their friendship apart. Rania’s wealth is gone, and she is fighting to keep her 14 year old daughter from Hussein’s infamous son, Uday known to rape, torture and kill young girls.
As their paths intersect, each woman’s hidden past comes to the forefront. Their lives are in the hands of the oppressive dictatorship of Saddam Hussein & his men. Forgiveness, friendship, and a mother’s love may be what ties these three women together to fight for their lives & future.
“In that moment, past and future, loyalty and betrayal, all seemed to collide”.