In the Country I Love

Gr 9 Up–Al-Barkawi’s debut blends coming-of-age tension with intergenerational drama in a tightly woven narrative about two Iraqi American best friends. Yassir, 17 and a single father, drifts through school exhausted, his parents interpreting his lapsed Shia faith and irritability as moral failure rather than the result of caring for his infant while scrambling to complete overdue work. Khaled, outwardly the model son, hides his own compromises, including the choice that most enrages his devout parents: maintaining his friendship with Yassir. Their families, once refugees together in a Saudi camp after the Gulf War, carry unspoken histories that begin to resurface as tensions rise. After Khaled is reprimanded at school, the boys drink beer on campus, and later an argument at a gas station leads to their expulsion for alleged “offensive” behavior. Humiliated and angry, they drive under the influence, a choice that sets off a cascade of consequences. Khaled’s estranged sister and lawyer, Kawther, intervenes, exposing long-standing fractures within the family. Seeking discipline and spiritual reset, their father sends Khaled and his sister to Iraq on a pilgrimage with extended relatives, where new conflicts and revelations surface. These events culminate in a devastating, violent crime. Al-Barkawi paints her teen protagonists and their emotional ups and downs realistically. Her use of multiple points of view, including a haunting and at times obscure “Sky” perspective, aids readers in piecing the families’ secrets together, allowing for a better understanding of their consequences. The narrative flows naturally across shifting timelines, and the pace moves from a slow-burn first half to a gripping, high-stakes conclusion.