A review by jacki_f
The Attack by Yasmina Khadra

4.0

Amin Jaafie is an Israeli Arab and non-practising Muslim who works as a surgeon in Tel Aviv. He is devoted to his wife Sihem and life is good. Until one day a suicide bomber blows up a restaurant - killing 19 people including many children - and all the evidence suggests that his wife is the perpetrator. As Jaafie moves through denial to grief, confusion and anger, he is determined to understand what could have driven his wife to do such a thing. His quest will take him around Israel and the West Bank, allowing us the reader to see the different sides of the Israeli-Arab conflict.

This is a gripping book which is hard to put down. You feel Jaafie's emotions throughout. Like Justin in The Constant Gardener, his need to understand a side of his wife that he didn't previously know about will lead him into dangerous situations.

While there were occasional clunky notes which are probably down to the translation, this is overall a moving and engrossing read.