"Breathtaking...Riveting and profound! I adored this book!" --Ellen
Marie Wiseman, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan
Collector
"A deeply involving and important novel by a master storyteller."
--Susan Wiggs, # 1 New York Times bestselling author
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
In 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 Release
A Target Book Club Pick
A Publishers Marketplace Buzz Books Selection
At night, in Huda's 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 ambassador's 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.
Huda's former friend, Rania, enjoyed a privileged upbringing as the
daughter of a sheikh. Now her family's wealth is gone, and Rania too is
battling to keep her child safe and a roof over their heads. As the
women's 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.
"Vivid...secrets 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 Hussein's regime with convincing detail.
Richly drawn characters and high-stakes plot." --Publishers Weekly
