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The Baghdad Clock Shahad Al Rawi Luke Leafgren Books

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The Baghdad Clock Shahad Al Rawi Luke Leafgren Books

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The Baghdad Clock Shahad Al Rawi Luke Leafgren Books Reviews

Rushed and doesn't worth the hype.
The Baghdad Clock by Shahad Al Rawi

Set in war torn Baghdad, 1991 during the Gulf war. A powerful story told in first person perspective, of one girls life during this war torn time. She meets another young girl (Nadia) and become friends. As time goes by, friends and family leave the war torn country, and lives will be forever changed.

Shahad Al Rawi detailed every emotion pulling me deep into the story as if I were there. A thought provoking, intense read that left an impression on my heart. Although fiction, I was able to get a feel of what life would be like living during this tumultuous time. I highly recommend The Baghdad Clock to all.

* I received this book from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review
I loved the plot of this book, but the greatest struggle seems to have been for the narrator to find the voice that would clearly bring out the story. It felt as though the narrator oscillated between a naive child and an adult, mixing up tenses and getting the reader into a fairy-like trance and this made reading this book quite difficult.
There are however very strong characters who represent the story, and to be honest had the narrator simply told me about Uncle Shawkat and his dog, then I'd have lived through the story because he's hard hit by the war and sanctions and it's evident in his lifestyle. I believe that with more focus on the structure and the flow of the story, this book would be an excellent read. Seeing the Gulf War, and the war America unleashed on Iraq, through the narrator's eye did break my heart and when they were forced to live in exile and she had carried all these memories of Baghdad with her, it almost felt like she was burdened by them and did not know what to do with them. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
Why this book works so well is that it’s such a simple and innocent story. Seen through the eyes of two girls as they grow up and start to explore the world, well at least as far as they can in war torn Baghdad, they manage to reveal their dreams, their hopes and their fears as well as acute observations of war. What we read about war sometimes can be gathered in such torrid graphic headlines that it’s there to shock. The lyrical, innocent childhood observations of these children make it all the more horrific and that’s why the book should be read slowly to take in the repercussions of what you are reading. When the girls are in the shelter, how they see the burned out city, why they dream about the Baghdad clock…I had tears in my eyes.

The story follows them as they go their own ways but it’s their Baghdad and childhood bond that keeps them close. You should discover this book for yourself without having any ideas of what you might find as this is an experience you won’t have had before and I’m very grateful to One World for having translated this. It did read like a stream of consciousness at times and especially as the girls grow up, but stand back and see the novel for how it shines a light on this part of the world and its people.d
Unlike anything I have read, there is a lyricism and poetic flow to this tale, narrated by a young Iraqi girl as she remembers her life before and the struggles and changes during the first Iraqi war in 1991. Solidly presented within her neighborhood – we see how lovely and wonderful life was before the bombings started, even with sanctions, there was a sense of community and surety that felt universal – the girls had dreams and stutter moments when encountering boys they liked, danced at weddings and for no reason at all, and even went on adventures and were able to appreciate the small wonders that are so palpable and present when you are a child. And then – things changed almost overnight…..

Buildings disappear in the middle of the night, bombs are dropping, people are scared – and people are missing. Huddled together for safety our narrator meets Nadia, and the two find comfort in sharing their stories of dreams, hopes and possibilities. Soon best friends, there are few things they haven’t shared armed soldiers patrolling the streets, neighbors and family gone in an instant, the struggles, fear and even deprivations as war drags on and on.....

Throughout the tale, the use of metaphor, dream interpretation, soothsayers and references to the ‘then’ helped build both the narrative and the sense of place for readers, the then and now, and showing the ease with which the children have adapted to the new normal, while not ever quite understanding the why, resolving the ‘fairness’ of their situation, and even grieving for those lost. With the sense of never-ending conflict and strife that is the overwhelming force in changing and limiting dreams and desires for all, there are decisions about future and past, dream and reality, hopes and potential that present readers with a sense that no child, indeed no people, should have to develop the resiliency shown here. Emotionally the story tears at your heart, while descriptions and a touch of magic seem to weave the story in technicolor tapestry, demanding you read on, understand and experience the world from this new perspective.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review all conclusions are my own responsibility.
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