“There’s a big difference between an old man who dies in his village, surrounded by family and close to the cemetery, and one who dies hundreds of kilometers away from them all.”
* “Death Is Hard Work” by Khaled Khalifa is a dark comedy set during the current Syrian Civil War, which follows siblings Bolbol, Hussein, and Fatima as they attempt to pass through checkpoint and checkpoint so to complete their father’s, Abdel Latif, final wish of being buried in Anabiya. Khalifa manages to plant and grow a family tree which follows the events over the last forty plus years that have led to the current state of Syria. Allegorical is the relationship between the siblings, some would say, with Bolbol being the most timid, Hussein the most outspoken, and Fatima the most quiet. Judge yourself who or what each of them represent in this real world that we live in. I would say that the relationships within the entire family are meant to mimic Syria, both its politics and its people. It’s clear that transporting a loved ones body from one end of a country to the other under civil war is not the easiest task, but what makes it even more difficult is the family’s own history. I now understand why this novel has one and been nominated for so many international literary prizes. Also, Khalifa helped introduce me to Riyad al-Salih al-Hussein!