The Attack: Novel | 
|  | | | Title: | The Attack: Novel | | Author: | Yasmina Khadra | | Publisher: | Nan A. Talese | | Type: | Book / Hardcover | | Publication Date: | 09 May, 2006 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0385517483 / 9780385517485 | | List Price: | $18.95 | | You Save: | $12.34 | | Amazon Price: | $6.61 (via Amazon marketplace seller) | | | |
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Product Description
Dr. Amin Jaafari, an Arab-Israeli citizen, is a surgeon at a hospital in Tel Aviv. Dedicated to his work, respected and admired by his colleagues and community, he represents integration at its most successful. He has learned to live with the violence and chaos that plague his city, and on the night of a deadly bombing in a local restaurant, he works tirelessly to help the shocked and shattered patients brought to the emergency room. But this night of turmoil and death takes a horrifyingly personal turn. His wife’s body is found among the dead, with massive injuries, the police coldly announce, typical of those found on the bodies of fundamentalist suicide bombers. As evidence mounts that his wife, Sihem, was responsible for the catastrophic bombing, Dr. Jaafari is torn between cherished memories of their years together and the inescapable realization that the beautiful, intelligent, thoroughly modern woman he loved had a life far removed from the comfortable, assimilated existence they shared.
From the graphic, beautifully rendered description of the bombing that opens the novel to the searing conclusion, The Attack portrays the reality of terrorism and its incalculable spiritual costs. Intense and humane, devoid of political bias, hatred, and polemics, it probes deep inside the Muslim world and gives readers a profound understanding of what seems impossible to understand.
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Customer Reviews:
• Hmmm - Not Sure About This One 28 March, 2008
Not a really bad book, but not as good as the Kite Runner, which we loved.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3BSYO9ZTD275R
• Winner 25 March, 2008
No need to spoil the plot more than what has already been done in previous reviews.
I am always reccomending books, rather the other way around except for this one...and glad it was mentioned to me.
Great plot, beautifully written prose and interesting story.
Look forward to reading other books by this author.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2KYN4OP82N1Y2
• An Understanding 18 April, 2008
as a secular westerner i have always struggled with the motivation of our fellow humans who reach a point of despair that allows a seemingly incomprehinsible act to take place. perhaps the greatest aspect of this book is the humanization of the people who oppressed and without a future choose to express themselves in a way that is foreign to people outside of this environment. i hope now to empathsize with a culture that is so very different from my own.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3L9A4WZFNC2FQ
• The Attack 09 August, 2007
This book was, by far, one of the best books I've read in quite some time. The author captures his readers attention and doesn't let go until the very last word.
Brought to the forefront of the book are the realities of racism, violence, religious discord, deception, as well as, the passion for love of family, loyality to one's religious beliefs and country. It is about a man who is so distraught by the tumultuous circumstances around him that he is tormented to the point of insanity. It is about a man so determined to find out the truth about his wife that he is willing to sacrifice everything.
It will challenge your emotional endurance to the end. A thought-provoking and well-written story! Excellent book!
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3MWRMIYATTXRJ
• Lots To Think About In This Novel 29 August, 2007
Dr. Amin Jaafari is the poster boy for integration. An Arab-Israeli citizen from a Bedouin family, he is apolitical by Tel-Aviv standards and focuses on saving lives. After a devastating bombing injures many in a local restaurant, Dr. Jaafari tirelessly attends to the injured. He has barely fallen asleep when he is called back to the hospital and learns the shocking truth: his wife's body has been found in the wreckage bearing left by the suicide bombings. Unable to accept the mounting evidence against Sihem, the modern and intelligent woman he married, Dr. Jaafari leaves Tel Aviv to find answers. But in a world where fundamentalists bomb to find solutions, will Dr. Jaafari be able to understand, let alone accept, his wife's actions?
Yasmina Khadra's new novel The Attack, presents a man struggling to understand a life-shattering event. For most of the Western world, terrorism invokes images of collapsing towers. For residents of the Middle East, terrorism is a more immediate reality. Suicide bombers are part of daily life and The Attack provides a window into the belief system which can lead to such violent action.
Author Khadra, the female pseudonym of former soldier Mohammed Moulessehoul, is strongest when writing the poignant passages where Dr. Jaafari wrestles with his memories and beliefs of his wife. Sihem has not only blown up a restaurant, she has shattered Dr. Jaafari's illusions, stripping away his belief in their perfect existence. He is a shadow of his former self, wrestling with personal demons and the overwhelming need to understand how he failed his wife.
Unfortunately, the downfall of The Attack is the failure to present a compelling reason why Sihem would become a suicide bomber. Female bombers are a rare occurrence and Sihem requires strong reasons to be convincing as one. Khadra doesn't provide it and readers are left with the impression of a lost soul, swayed by strong personalities, rather than a committed fanatic prepared to martyr herself.
The Attack is disturbing but has much to teach readers who can see past the violence. If Khadra had presented a stronger heroine, this novel would have been exceptional.
Armchair Interviews says: Unique look at suicide bombings.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A21NVBFIEQWDSG
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