The Attack: Novel
2 journalers for this copy...
I got this book from the Mississauga Symphony Sale.
From Chapters:
Dr. Amin Jaafari, an Arab-Israeli citizen, is a surgeon at a hospital in Tel Aviv. Dedicated to his work, respected and admired by his colleagues and community, he represents integration at its most successful. He has learned to live with the violence and chaos that plague his city, and on the night of a deadly bombing in a local restaurant, he works tirelessly to help the shocked and shattered patients brought to the emergency room. But this night of turmoil and death takes a horrifyingly personal turn. His wife’s body is found among the dead, with massive injuries, the police coldly announce, typical of those found on the bodies of fundamentalist suicide bombers. As evidence mounts that his wife, Sihem, was responsible for the catastrophic bombing, Dr. Jaafari is torn between cherished memories of their years together and the inescapable realization that the beautiful, intelligent, thoroughly modern woman he loved had a life far removed from the comfortable, assimilated existence they shared.
From the graphic, beautifully rendered description of the bombing that opens the novel to the searing conclusion, The Attack portrays the reality of terrorism and its incalculable spiritual costs. Intense and humane, devoid of political bias, hatred, and polemics, it probes deep inside the Muslim world and gives readers a profound understanding of what seems impossible to understand.
From Chapters:
Dr. Amin Jaafari, an Arab-Israeli citizen, is a surgeon at a hospital in Tel Aviv. Dedicated to his work, respected and admired by his colleagues and community, he represents integration at its most successful. He has learned to live with the violence and chaos that plague his city, and on the night of a deadly bombing in a local restaurant, he works tirelessly to help the shocked and shattered patients brought to the emergency room. But this night of turmoil and death takes a horrifyingly personal turn. His wife’s body is found among the dead, with massive injuries, the police coldly announce, typical of those found on the bodies of fundamentalist suicide bombers. As evidence mounts that his wife, Sihem, was responsible for the catastrophic bombing, Dr. Jaafari is torn between cherished memories of their years together and the inescapable realization that the beautiful, intelligent, thoroughly modern woman he loved had a life far removed from the comfortable, assimilated existence they shared.
From the graphic, beautifully rendered description of the bombing that opens the novel to the searing conclusion, The Attack portrays the reality of terrorism and its incalculable spiritual costs. Intense and humane, devoid of political bias, hatred, and polemics, it probes deep inside the Muslim world and gives readers a profound understanding of what seems impossible to understand.
Dr. Amin Jaafari has worked hard to get where he is. As an Arab living in Israel, he had to put up with a lot of racism and work very hard to become a surgeon in Tel Aviv. He has a very long day ahead of him when a suicide bomber blows up a restaurant. Dr. Jaafari performs multiple surgeries and goes home in a daze, ready to collapse from exhaustion. In the middle of the morning, he's called back to the hospital. The police are there, asking him to identify his wife, whom they believe was the suicide bomber. Dr. Jaafari can't believe this until he gets a note in the mail from his wife, dated a few days before the bombing, apologizing. Dr. Jaafari sets on a quest to determine who turned his wife and how he missed the signs, not worrying about any danger he might be putting himself in.
This is an interesting subject for a novel, how the loved one of a suicide bomber who doesn't believe in the cause copes with the aftermath. It tears Dr. Jaafari apart and he tries very hard to find meaning in what happened and bring those who were responsible to justice. But the question is whether justice can be found and if there is meaning. There were a few times that this book felt a bit preachy to me, but it got across its point in quite an impactful way.
This is an interesting subject for a novel, how the loved one of a suicide bomber who doesn't believe in the cause copes with the aftermath. It tears Dr. Jaafari apart and he tries very hard to find meaning in what happened and bring those who were responsible to justice. But the question is whether justice can be found and if there is meaning. There were a few times that this book felt a bit preachy to me, but it got across its point in quite an impactful way.
Both my mom (AceofHearts) and I have had lots of books that have been in tobysrus' hands so I'm happy to be able to send something back to her! Hope you enjoy!
Thank you C'est moi!! My computer crashed last week and so I am just now back online and able to journal the book. I appreciate the RABCK and note. What a nice surprise. Thanks again!
