The Cistern

In a bitter culture clash underpinned by racial and class tension, both perpetrator and victim lose out. This no-holds-barred account tells how a man loses a leg and his sanity in his obsession to gain revenge. Madness derived from obsessive behavior sees another of the players plunge to the depths of depravity in a bid to appease evil spirits.

This is prize-winning author Abdo Khal at his best, confident and shocking in his confrontation of entrenched shibboleth. Powerful and controversial writing by an author who is known for the unblinking acuity he brings to his metaphorical presentation of life's angsts.

Part of Nomad Publishing's range of authors in translation, painting a vivid picture of Arabia at a time of astonishingly rapid change.