The Attack by Yasmina Khadra – translated from French and first published in English in 2006
Dr Amin Jaafie, an Arab Israeli doctor is told that his wife Sihem had ended her life by blowing herself up in a crowded Tel Aviv restaurant, killing 19 other people as well. At first he cannot believe that she would have done such a thing but then he receives a letter from her and realises it is true. He travels to Bethlehem and Jenin to find out why and how she came to become a suicide bomber. It is a surprisingly compelling read and I could see a film of it playing in my mind’s eye. Don’t expect a happy ending because there isn’t one. In fact the beginning of the story is also the end. Yasmina Khadra is the pseudonym of an ex-Algerian army officer. I have also read his Swallows of Kabul, which is equally harrowing but well worth reading. 7/10
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