The Old Woman and the River: A Novel

After the ceasefire in 1988, the devastation to the landscape of Iraq wrought by the longest war of the twentieth century becomes visible, with vast wastelands being left behind. In southeastern Iraq, along the shores of the Shatt al-Arab River, the groves of date palm trees have withered. No longer bearing fruit, their leaves have turned a bright yellow. Yet, surveying this destruction from the sky, a strip of land bursting with green can be seen. The secret of this fertility, sustaining villages and remaining soldiers, is unclear. But it is said that one old woman is responsible for this lifeline.