The Road from Damascus
The Road from Damascus by Robin Yassin-Kassab, published by Penguin Adult on June 5, 2008, is a 368-page novel that delves into the complexities of identity and faith. Set in the summer of 2001, the story follows Sami Traifi as he navigates the challenges of a failing marriage and limited job prospects. His journey to Damascus in search of his roots leads him to uncover unsettling family secrets, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of his beliefs and relationships.
As Sami returns to London, he faces new trials when his wife Muntaha decides to embrace the hijab, prompting him to question his own path away from religion. The narrative captures his emotional and spiritual turmoil as he grapples with Muntaha’s evolving faith, her brother Ammar’s hip hop Islamism, and the expectations of his father-in-law. The Road from Damascus examines themes of family life, cultural heritage, and the quest for meaning in a multi-ethnic, multi-faith environment, ultimately portraying the struggle between personal desires and familial obligations.
Official synopsis Publisher
It is summer 2001 and Sami Traifi has escaped his fraying marriage and minimal job prospects to visit Damascus. In search of his roots and himself, he instead finds a forgotten uncle in a gloomy back room, and an ugly secret about his beloved father…
Returning to London, Sami finds even more to test him as his young wife Muntaha reveals that she is taking up the hijab. Sami embarks on a wilfully ragged journey in the opposite direction, away from religion � but towards what?
As Sami struggles to understand Muntaha�s newly-deepened faith, her brother Ammar�s hip hop Islamism and his father-in-law�s need to see grandchildren, so his emotional and spiritual unraveling begins to accelerate. And the more he rebels, the closer he comes to betraying those he loves, edging ever-nearer to the brink of losing everything�
Set against a powerfully-evoked backdrop of multi-ethnic, multi-faith London, The Road from Damascus explores themes as big as love, faith and hope, and as fundamental as our need to believe in something bigger than ourselves, whatever that might be.
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