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

ISBN: 1496729358

Author: Wilkinson, Gina

Condition: New

BreathtakingRiveting and profound! I adored this book! -Ellen Marie Wiseman, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan CollectorA deeply involving and important novel by a master storyteller. -Susan Wiggs, # 1 New York Times bestselling authorINTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERIn 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.A BuzzFeed Most Anticipated Historical Fiction ReleaseA Target Book Club PickA Publishers Marketplace Buzz Books SelectionAt night, in Hudas 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 ambassadors 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.Hudas former friend, Rania, enjoyed a privileged upbringing as the daughter of a sheikh. Now her familys wealth is gone, and Rania too is battling to keep her child safe and a roof over their heads. As the womens 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.Vividsecrets and lies mingle as easily as the scent of apricot blossoms and nargilah smoke. Wilkinson weaves in the miasma of fear and distrust that characterized Husseins regime with convincing detail. Richly drawn characters and high-stakes plot. -Publishers Weekly