Refuge by Fatema Alarabi

Summer in the Middle East is claustrophobic. The humidity envelops people like clingfilm.
When I awake one night in July to the screech of a telephone, I already know my mother is dead.

‘Leave it,’ I tell my husband, who is halfway out of bed and scrambling for his slippers. We wait for the call to end. The silence afterwards is deafening – worse than the ringing.

The sky outside changes from indigo to sapphire, but Riyadh and I stay still as statues. Eventually, he stretches out on the bed and clasps my hand. He knows, too.

Set in the most volatile region in the world, Refuge is a love-letter to the Middle East and its denizens. It tells the story of a couple at the outbreak of war, forced to flee their homeland and settle in Dublin. Living on their wits, and missing friends and family, they gradually rebuild their lives. When the conflict back home peters out, they must decide whether to stay in Europe or return to the old country.

Beautifully and poetically written, Refuge is a love-story which is simultaneously sensual, tender and affecting – and presents Ireland in a new light, through the eyes of recent arrivals to the country. In short, this is a remarkable debut by a talented new voice who powerfully draws on the rich literary traditions of both Ireland and the Middle East.