When the Apricots Bloom: A Novel of Riveting and Evocative Fiction [J0259]

2021 - French Flap PB Gift worthy condition. In this moving, suspenseful debut novel, three courageous women confront the complexities of trust, friendship, motherhood, and betrayal under the rule of a ruthless dictator and his brutal secret police. Former foreign correspondent Gina Wilkinson draws on her own experiences to take readers inside a haunting story of Iraq at the turn of the millennium and the impossible choices faced by families under a deadly regime. At night, in Huda's fragrant garden, a breeze sweeps in from the desert encircling Baghdad, rustling the leaves of her apricot trees and carrying warning of visitors at her gate. Huda, a secretary at the Australian embassy, lives in fear of the mukhabarat-the secret police who watch and listen for any scrap of information that can be used against America and its allies. They have ordered her to befriend Ally Wilson, the deputy ambassador's wife. Huda has no wish to be an informant, but fears for her teenaged son, who may be forced to join a deadly militia. Nor does she know that Ally has dangerous secrets of her own. Huda's former friend, Rania, enjoyed a privileged upbringing as the daughter of a sheikh. Now her family's wealth is gone, and Rania too is battling to keep her child safe and a roof over their heads. As the women's lives intersect, their hidden pasts spill into the present. Facing possible betrayal at every turn, all three must trust in a fragile, newfound loyalty, even as they discover how much they are willing to sacrifice to protect their families.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "This was such a heartbreaking read. It made me think about how unfair it is to be born into a place where fear becomes part of everyday life. My heart especially breaks for the children."; "Interesting look into life in Iraq during an interesting time."; "The author uses her own experience in Iraq as a starting point for the book although the book is fictitious. I enjoyed the relationship of these women. I liked that they were enjoyable characters, even though they were doing things that are morally gray (at best)."