Fingers of Dates

Fingers of Dates (Arab Scientific Publishers, Beirut, 2009) is set in Iraq at the time of Saddam Hussein's rule.  A beautiful and moving account of daily Iraqi life, Fingers of Dates tells the tale of a man and his relationships with his lover and his family, with a particularly touching look at the father-son relationship. The novel relates the dispersal of Iraqis at this time and how some were forced to forsake their identities in a new life in which they are neither able to function nor successfully integrate. In this profound novel, Muhsin al-Ramli shows he is clearly a master of his craft.