The Baghdad Clock

June 15, 2018

Sharing dreams and stories of family bonds, two young girls forge a friendship that lasts many years. Initially introduced in an air raid shelter in 1991 during the Iran-Iraq War, they continue meeting at the Baghdad clocktower or at their homes, where they discuss their lives, loves, and memories. These conversations are chronicled in a book they call The Baghdad Clock: The Record of a Neighborhood. Throughout the harsh sanctions imposed on Iraq and the conflict with the United States starting in 2003, Baghdad suffers such devastation that their neighbors abandon their homes and immigrate to other countries. Before leaving, our narrator finds a copy of Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude and discovers "a spiritual prescription for escaping misery." Reading the novel several times, she regards herself as an honorary citizen of Macondo, feeling a deep connection to that magical story as she questions everything in her world. VERDICT With tremendous talent and a sharp intelligence, Rawi delivers an outstanding debut. Highly recommended.--Lisa Rohrbaugh, Leetonia Community P.L., OH

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