The Attack: A Novel

While on the theme of terrorism in Israel… The Attack by Yasmina Khadra was an amazing book. It looks at a suicide bombing through the eyes of an Arab Israeli doctor. Dr. Amin Jaafari is a dedicated surgeon trying to fit into Israeli society - a society that can appreciate his help in the operating room, but still not trust him outside it.

A bombing that kills 20 and wounds more keeps him awake for more than 24 hours trying to save lives. At the end of his shift he is told that his wife was among those killed in the bombing. And the evidence points to her being the bomber. In an attempt to find answers, Dr. Jaafari traces his wife’s movements from the past few weeks, from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to Jenin. What he finds will shock and anger him. How can a man who thinks of himself as a healer come to terms with a wife who became a murderer?


Khadra, Yasmina. (2006). The attack: A novel. New York: Nan A. Talese.