New Paperback Edition

Mischa Hiller

WINNER OF THE COMMONWEALTH WRITER'S PRIZE SOUTH ASIA AND EUROPE BEST FIRST BOOK

It is the summer of 1982 and Beirut is under siege. Eighteen-year-old Ivan's parents have just been evacuated from the city with other members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

Ivan stays on, interpreting for international medical volunteers in Sabra refugee camp by day, getting stoned with them at night, and working undercover for the PLO. Hoping to get closer to Eli, a Norwegian physiotherapist, he helps her treat Youssef, a camp orphan disabled by a cluster bomb. An unexpected friendship develops between the three and things begin to look up …

But events take a nasty turn when the president-elect is assassinated. The Israeli army enters Beirut and surrounds the camp, with Eli and Youssef trapped inside. Are rumours of a massacre in the camp true? Will Ivan be able to salvage anything from the chaos?

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Last modified on August 12, 2011  | © Telegram 2005