I Heard Everything
Sara Alsarraf
I Heard Everything has two narrative voices: Ishtar, a young girl who lost her parents in an accident and documents her thoughts in a diary; and her maternal aunt Aida, a journalist, who has a love affair with her boss, Abbas. Through their eyes, the atmosphere of 1980s Iraq is brought to life, spanning the turbulent years of the Iran-Iraq war to the harmonious co-existence of Arab, Kurdish and Armenian communities in Baghdad, Basra and Sulaymaniyah at the time. The novel explores the deep attachment in both family relationships and between lovers in intimate detail, through a narrative interwoven with compelling dialogue, song, and the vivid imaginings of a child.
Nomination
2024 Longlist