Absent tells the story of Dalal, a young Iraqi woman living with the childless aunt and uncle who raised her. Dalal and her neighbors try to maintain normal lives, despite the crippling effect of bombings and international sanctions resulting from the first Gulf War. By turns affectionate, wry, and darkly comic, Absent paints a moving portrait of people struggling to get by in impossible circumstances. Upstairs, the fortune-teller Umm Mazin offers her customers cures for their physical and romantic ailments; below, Saad the ...
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Absent tells the story of Dalal, a young Iraqi woman living with the childless aunt and uncle who raised her. Dalal and her neighbors try to maintain normal lives, despite the crippling effect of bombings and international sanctions resulting from the first Gulf War. By turns affectionate, wry, and darkly comic, Absent paints a moving portrait of people struggling to get by in impossible circumstances. Upstairs, the fortune-teller Umm Mazin offers her customers cures for their physical and romantic ailments; below, Saad the hairdresser attends to a dwindling number of female customers; and on the second floor, the nurse Ilham dreams of her long-lost French mother to escape the grim realities she sees in the children's ward at the hospital. Hoping to bring in much-needed cash by selling honey, Dalal's uncle turns to beekeeping, and instructs his niece in the care and feeding of these temperamental creatures. With memories of happier times during the "Days of Plenty" of her childhood, Dalal falls in love for the first time against a background of surprise arrests, personal betrayals, and a crumbling social fabric that turns neighbors into informants. Tightly crafted and skillfully told, Absent is a haunting portrait of life under sanctions, the fragile emotional ties between individuals, and, ultimately, the resilience of the human spirit.
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Add this copy of Absent: a Novel to cart. $2.00, good condition, Sold by The Maryland Book Bank rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from baltimore, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Random House Trade.
Add this copy of Absent: a Novel to cart. $2.00, good condition, Sold by Evergreen Goodwill rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Random House Publishing Group.
Add this copy of Absent to cart. $3.38, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Random House Trade.
Add this copy of Absent to cart. $3.38, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Random House Trade.
Add this copy of Absent to cart. $3.38, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Random House Trade.
Add this copy of Absent to cart. $3.38, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Random House Trade.
Add this copy of Absent: a Novel to cart. $6.99, new condition, Sold by TEXTBOOKBOOKIE rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Little Rock, AR, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Random House Trade.
Add this copy of Absent: a Novel to cart. $6.99, good condition, Sold by TEXTBOOKBOOKIE rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Little Rock, AR, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Random House Trade.
Add this copy of Absent to cart. $10.50, very good condition, Sold by A2ZBooks rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Burgin, KY, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Random House.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good Condition. Some marking and or highlights, Light to moderate shelf wear, may have bookstore stickers, or be former reference copy. Looks real nice. 221 pages. Multiple copies available this title. Quantity Available: 2. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Fiction; ISBN: 0812977424. ISBN/EAN: 9780812977424. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 1561058101.
Add this copy of Absent to cart. $12.25, very good condition, Sold by A2ZBooks rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Burgin, KY, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Random House.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good Condition. Text appears nice and clean, but may contain minor marks that we missed. Cover has light shelf and corner wear may have bookstore stickers or be former reference copy. Binding is in very good condition. Looks real nice. 221 pages. Multiple copies available this title. Quantity Available: 4. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Fiction; ISBN: 0812977424. ISBN/EAN: 9780812977424. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 1561058100.
