Name: The Baghdad Clock
ISBN: 9781786073242

Shahad Al Rawi

A heart-rending tale of two girls growing up in war-torn Baghdad

The Baghdad Clock

A HEART-RENDING TALE OF TWO GIRLS GROWING UP IN WAR-TORN BAGHDAD Baghdad, 1991. The Gulf War is raging. Two girls, hiding in an air raid shelter, tell stories to keep the fear and the darkness at bay, and a deep friendship is born. But as the bombs continue to fall and friends begin to flee the country, the girls must face the fact that their lives will never be the same again. This poignant debut novel reveals just what it's like to grow up in a city that is slowly disappearing in front of your eyes, and how in the toughest times, children can build up the greatest resilience.

Winner of the Edinburgh First Book Award

Kath Lau

This book takes place in 1991 Baghdad during the Gulf War. It follows the story of two young girls in an air raid shelter who eventually become best of friends. Together they dream of a perfect world as well as witness how the ongoing war affects their neighborhood and their own lives.

I really enjoyed reading this book and if I have my own copy, i'm pretty sure that it'll be filled with annotations, underlines, and highlights. There were so many beautiful lines! There were some slow-paced scenes but I though the writing was still captivating. I also enjoyed the addition of metaphors and magical element. I like that this book is written in the first person pov of the young protagonist. It's pure, innocent and honest. No pretentions. This is actually one of the reasons why I love reading middle grade novels. We see through our young narrator how their neighborhood continue their everyday lives despite of the war that is happening which slowly destroying (both physically and mentally) their community). The author focuses more on the devastating effects and innocent victims of the war instead of the act of violence and war itself. This book actually made me cry mostly because of Uncle Shawkat and Biryad the dog. This was such a thought-provoking and heartbreaking coming-of-age novel.

This book was first published in Arabic in 2016 and was translated to English by Luke Leafgren in 2018.

The Baghdad Clock

Reviews

Highlights