IN THE COUNTRY I LOVE

Two struggling Iraqi American teens face a series of spiraling events that expose hidden secrets.

Yassir Al-Azzawi and Khaled Al-Hakim, classmates at a prestigious private high school, maintain a deep but secret friendship. Their families, once close, had a falling-out many years ago. Yassir struggles with schoolwork, unresolved trauma, and parenting his young daughter, Yasmin, whose mother, a white girl, waived her parental rights. Khaled, though unafraid to call out his teacher’s Islamophobia, grapples with his dysfunctional family. The boys get into trouble at school—and with the police, in front of the local Iraqi community members who are observing Muharram. Secrets spill out into the open, severing their friendship. Khaled’s estranged sister, Kawther, a lawyer, steps in, accompanying him to Iraq to observe the Arbaeen pilgrimage; their time together lays bare other family skeletons. When Yassir is assaulted in a hate crime, the two families begin to open up about their unhealed wounds. Al-Barkawi leads with a strong setup: flawed characters dealing with family tensions, lapsed religious observance, and the increase in institutionalized Islamophobia. The taut writing pulls readers in, and the surprise reveal is utterly devastating. The author explores the atrocities of the Iraq War in raw and unflinching ways. Yassir’s and Khaled’s arcs are strongly developed, while Kawther’s story stretches the narrative and makes it unwieldy. This engrossing story effectively brings to light issues of alcoholism, unhealthy family dynamics, and underrepresented Shia traditions.

A gripping debut about generational trauma that mirrors many present realities.