"
Absent opens a door to a view of Iraqi life we have seldom seen. With a compassionate eye Khedairi explores a community, damaged by wars and sanctions, struggling for survival."
-Elizabeth Cox, author of
The Slow Moon "A fascinating book and a great pleasure to read: Betool Khedairi is a talented new voice in fiction."
-Alaa Al Aswany, author of
The Yacoubian Building "Absent is an important book in the way that
The Grapes of Wrath and
The Kite Runner are important books. Betool Khedairi performs the miraculous feat of transforming Iraq from an abstraction into a world populated by real people devastated by the intrusions of an empire on the other side of the globe."
-Sarah Bird, author of
The Flamenco Academy "A strong new voice in Iraqi literature."
-Radio Free Europe
"Brilliant, funny and disturbing, Absent portrays an unforgettable struggle for dignity in a world under siege."
-Teresa Carpenter, author of
The Miss Stone Affair