Of the three books by Khadra that I've read, this is by far the best. It portrays a man many readers can identify with - professional, devoted to saving lives, a peace-loving man above politics and religion, in a world where both drive a wedge of hatred and fanaticism between people. Though a secular man, he seems clearly to have taken a position on the moral higher ground.

Then a suicide bombing brings his world to an end, and in the short novel that follows, he attempts to understand what in fact has happened to him. I turns out that he has been blind to a lot. It is not enough for him this time to simply do what he can to put the living back together and return them to their lives. This time it is he who is wounded, and he must find a way to heal himself. His search for the truth takes him to the West Bank and face to face with men deeply involved with armed resistance to Israeli occupation. Rational, educated and cultured he becomes driven and irrational, risking both life and sanity to confront those who have destroyed all that he holds dear. It is a powerful book, beautifully translated, and immerses the reader breathlessly in its world.