{"title":"Betool Khedairi","description":"Betool Khedairi was born in Baghdad in 1965 to an Iraqi father and a Scottish mother. She received a BA in French literature from the University of Mustansirya and then traveled between Iraq, Jordan, and the United Kingdom, working in the food industry while writing A Sky So Close, which was published in Arabic in Lebanon in 1999. She currently lives in Amman.","products":[{"product_id":"absent-paperback","title":"Absent - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eDalal is a young woman living in a crowded Baghdad apartment with the childless aunt and uncle who raised her. In the same building, Umm Mazin, a fortune-teller, offers her customers cures for their physical and romantic ailments, Saad the hairdresser attends to a dwindling number of female customers, and Ilham, a nurse, escapes the stark realities of her hospital job in dreams of her long-lost French mother. Despite the damaging effects of bombings and international sanctions on their world, all the residents try to maintain normal lives. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHoping to bring in much-needed cash by selling honey, Dalal's uncle becomes a beekeeper, enlisting Dalal's help in the care of these temperamental creatures. Meanwhile, 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTightly crafted and full of vivid, unforgettable characters, \u003ci\u003eAbsent \u003c\/i\u003eis a haunting portrait of life under restrictions, the fragile emotional ties among family and friends, and the resilience of the human spirit.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50103759274207,"sku":"9780812977424","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/hwy092lNX59780812977424.webp?v=1781097577"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/betool-khedairi.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}