Hana is overwhelmed by everything. For starters, there was the chaotic taxi ride from the airport which resulted in a broken taxi door (her fault).  Then there is the police, the army, the protesters and the refugees that fill Cairo in the aftermath of the January 25th revolution, and her new job at the UN as a resettlement officer. Hana is an Araqi-American and knows about being a refugee. Things should be easier for her, but Dalia is her first case and she knows it is hopeless. Dalia’s husband worked for the Americans in Baghdad and received asylum in America, but Dalia was not included. Hana soon meets Charlie, Dalia’s attorney, who has a scheme to help Dalia. And so begins a desperate attempt to find a way to send Dalia to America. Oh, by the way, Charlie is in love with Dalia. This is a great book!  It is full of tension, humor, tragedy, and full of characters that are human, flawed but very likeable. There are backstories for everyone and everyone has a different motive for defying the authorities. I was totally drawn in and I am still thinking about all the hopeless refugees stuck in limbo with no place to go, no way to earn a living. Nothing.

eGalley review                                     Publication date 7.11.17