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Throwing Sparks

by Abdo Khal - £12.99  Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing (2014)
hardback    ISBN 13: 9789992179093 | ISBN 10: 9992179090

When an opulent palace is built on the Jeddah waterfront near his poverty-stricken neighbourhood, ambitious Tariq sees a way out of his life of petty crime. He stares longingly at the huge gates, dreaming of the luxuries beyond.
 
But dream quickly turns into nightmare. The Palace is ruled by an enigmatic Master whose influence in the city is as wide as it is wicked. When Tariq succeeds in being appointed to serve the Master it becomes clear that he has been chosen for a single, terrible task.
 
Thirty years later, Tariq feels trapped. In between punishing the Master’s enemies through unspeakable acts, falling for Maram, the Master’s beautiful mistress, and resisting his brother’s pleas to return home, he realises that he has become no more than a slave – and that there is only one way out.

"Abdo Khal shines a light on life at the bottom of the heap, in Saudi's often forgotten villages. His voice blends image-rich poetic classicism with contemporary patois, which makes for an unmistakably Arab mix"
(Guardian UK)

(Price & availability last checked: January 2020)