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
Sara Alsarraf
Country of origin Iraq
About the author
Sara Alsarraf is an Iraqi writer, born in France in 1975. She graduated from the English department of the Arts Faculty of Al-Mustansiriya University, Baghdad, in 1997. She first worked as a news editor at the Iraq satellite channel, before moving to the United Arab Emirates, where she became a journalist, presenter and writer. Alongside her main career, her interest in social issues has led to her running awareness campaigns on social media and becoming a prominent influencer. I Heard Everything (2022) is her debut novel.