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Dark at the Crossing
A Novel
eBook - 2017
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
"Transports readers into a world few Americans know" —Washington Post
"Promises to be one of the most essential books of 2017" —Esquire
A timely new novel of stunning humanity and tension: a contemporary love story set on the Turkish border with Syria.
Haris Abadi is a man in search of a cause. An Arab American with a conflicted past, he is now in Turkey, attempting to cross into Syria and join the fight against Bashar al-Assad's regime. But he is robbed before he can make it, and is taken in by Amir, a charismatic Syrian refugee and former revolutionary, and Amir's wife, Daphne, a sophisticated beauty haunted by grief. As it becomes clear that Daphne is also desperate to return to Syria, Haris's choices become ever more wrenching: Whose side is he really on? Is he a true radical or simply an idealist? And will he be able to bring meaning to a life of increasing frustration and helplessness? Told with compassion and a deft hand, Dark at the Crossing is an exploration of loss, of second chances, and of why we choose to believe—a trenchantly observed novel of raw urgency and power.
"Transports readers into a world few Americans know" —Washington Post
"Promises to be one of the most essential books of 2017" —Esquire
A timely new novel of stunning humanity and tension: a contemporary love story set on the Turkish border with Syria.
Haris Abadi is a man in search of a cause. An Arab American with a conflicted past, he is now in Turkey, attempting to cross into Syria and join the fight against Bashar al-Assad's regime. But he is robbed before he can make it, and is taken in by Amir, a charismatic Syrian refugee and former revolutionary, and Amir's wife, Daphne, a sophisticated beauty haunted by grief. As it becomes clear that Daphne is also desperate to return to Syria, Haris's choices become ever more wrenching: Whose side is he really on? Is he a true radical or simply an idealist? And will he be able to bring meaning to a life of increasing frustration and helplessness? Told with compassion and a deft hand, Dark at the Crossing is an exploration of loss, of second chances, and of why we choose to believe—a trenchantly observed novel of raw urgency and power.
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Publisher:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
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Add a CommentThis book is not of my favorite genres. The only reason I read it is because of its being long-listed for the National Book Award. I must confess Ackerman has written a novel deserving of the award. Ackerman's experience as a journalist and Marine make him eminently suitable to tell this story. Haris Abadi is an Iraqi American who heads out to Syria to join the 'cause.' Thence emerges a tale of strife which leads him to question if he is truly an idealist or just a pragmatist. The supporting characters in the novel are strong all of which makes for good reading.
Insightful. Contemporary.
I wanted to like the book - fascinated by the timely setting and story... Found it too descriptive, but still kept trying to get through it. Unfortunately, it just didn't hold my interested, and I didn't finish it.
Was looking forward to this novel about people at the Turkey-Syria border, given the topical subject matter. But the characters are pathetic, rather than sympathetic, and the story is aimless and disheartening.