The Attack by Yasmina Khadra

Highly recommended: "The Attack" is an intense and compassionate story of an Arab-Israeli surgeon in Tel Aviv and how his life is changed one night as the victims of a suicide bombing attack stumble into the hospital. He suffers a great betrayal and his life is turned inside out.

A fascinating perspective on a very timely issue.

I was surprised to discover that "yasmina khadra" is a pen-name for a former Algerian army officer named Mohammed Moulesseshoul, an award winner author who lives in France. Does it make a difference when you read a book whether the author is male or female? To be honest, I'm not sure if I would have even picked this book up if I had seen "Mohammed" on the cover. There is still power in a name...

"The Attack" is actually the second book in a triology about Islamic fundamentalism, but it reads well alone. The first book is "Swallows of Kabul", and I just picked up the third book "Sirens of Baghdad" ... looking forward to that!