When the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson

When the Apricots Bloom is the fictional story of three women in Baghdad in 2002. Huda is an Iraqi woman who works for the Australian embassy as a secretary. She is approached by the mukhabarat, the intelligence agency in Iraq, to become an informant. She is not given a choice, but is threatened; the mukhabarat say they will force her son to join their militia if she does not comply. Huda is tasked with reporting details about Ally Wilson, wife of the Australian Deputy Ambassador. Ally is bored and struggling to find a place in Baghdad. As a former journalist, life as an Iraq housewife is not something she is adapting to easily.

Ally receives an invitation from Rania, a formerly wealthy daughter of a sheikh, to attend an art show at Rania’s gallery. Rania is a former artist and former friend of Huda. As the three women’s lives become intertwined and secrets abound, Rania is also battling to keep her child safe. Huda and Rania will do what is needed to protect their children, but what will that mean for Ally?

This is certainly not a light story, but it was extremely enlightening and I am so glad I read it. It is based on the author’s experiences as an Australian living in Baghdad during the Saddam Hussein regime. It was beautifully written and I could feel the oppression (in a very small way) of living in Iraq during that time. This is an important historical fiction story that will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend checking it out. It includes questions at the end for book clubs or buddy reads too!

Check out When the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson at the Library (https://catalog.lclibs.org/polaris/search/title.aspx…) or through OverDrive at https://lclibs.overdrive.com/media/5394664.