It's always good to write about what you know. Exactly what this author has done - ex journalist/foreign correspondent who was based in Baghdad as a 'dependent spouse' when her husband was posted there during the time of Saddam Hussein's rule. She couldn't work but she could observe and that is what she did. She was also befriended by a local woman who had been instructed to spy on this Western woman. And what a story she has created with this background. A story of friendship, betrayal, ethical and moral dilemmas, being a woman in an oppressive society, religious dogma, the power of tyranny, and how absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Baghdad is a very scary place during the time of Hussein. The writer recreates the city of her time there - the traffic, the bustling crazy labyrinth markets, the secret deals, the dust, the heat, everyone working their butts off to make a living, stay safe, eyes and ears everywhere, the feel of fear - incredibly visual. Into this environment comes Ally, the young wife of a diplomat, Tom, at the Australian Embassy. Prior to becoming the travelling spouse she used to be a journalist, although she didn't put this on her visa application so the Iraqis don't know her history. Otherwise she wouldn't be there - no foreign press, even ex journalists are permitted in Iraq. On the instructions of the local secret police, she is befriended by Tom's secretary Huda. Huda's unwilling task is to pass onto the secret police any information she can about anything from the West.
Huda is of peasant origins, but managed to learn English which gives her some standing. Huda grew up in a village with her parents and two brothers. She was best friends - blood friends - with Rania, the daughter of the sheikh of the village. Rania has quite a different life from Huda - being educated in England, a father with influence, which stood her in good stead when the revolution took place. Things however didn't end so well for Huda's family, and the girls go their separate ways. Now, years later in Baghdad they are reconnected through Ally - not happily, not trusting each other. Amidst the climate of fear and horror around them, they have to learn to trust again, as the lives of their children depend on them working together.
This is a good story, friendship and the bonds of childhood at its heart. It is also a story of courage, women using their own intelligence and intuition to beat the evil around them, to get the better of the violence and danger of the men around them. The strength and characters of the women grew as the story went on, I liked them all, finding ways to deceive those around them and solve a big problem. And yet again, so grateful I live where I live.
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