Notes from a Lost Country
Edited by Sinan Antoon
About the Book
Sami, a retired doctor, lives in Brooklyn with his son and grandchildren. But he is losing his way. Every day he drifts further into dementia, pulled back into memories of the Iraq he was forced to leave after the 2003 Gulf War.
Omar arrives in the United States alone. A deserter from the Iraqi army, he was punished swiftly and brutally: his ear was cut off. Omar carries this mark of shame in silence and refuses to speak of the past. He works menial jobs, creates a new identity and dreams of reconstructive surgery to get his ear, and his dignity, back.
Yet neither Sami nor Omar are quite as alone in America as they believe. Exploring the lingering wounds of war and the way the past shadows new beginnings, Notes from a Lost Country is a deeply moving and achingly beautiful portrait of life in exile.
Reviews
'Ravishing, heartbreaking, and often absurd, Notes From a Lost Country is a novel on exile in all its meanings, panoramic in implications but distilled down like a fine elixir. I adored it.' Molly Crabapple
'A haunting story of two men — one desperate to remember, the other to forget. In exploring the cost of erasing one’s past, Antoon reveals the deep fractures of exile and identity. This novel marks a bold new chapter in Antoon’s work. With his gift for creating unforgettable, layered characters, Antoon leaves readers with echoes that linger long after the final page.' Hassan Abdulrazzak
'A moving portrait of the aftermath of war and life in exile.' Vogue Arabia
