The Spoil

The Spoil

Author: Sadegh Karamyar

Pages: 188

Date of Publication: 2010

The US invasion of Iraq and its correlation with the war, Iraq waged against Iran is the main theme of this successful novel by Sadegh Karamyar. It focuses on the relationship between Aslan; an Iranian man and a Veteran of the Iran-Iraq war who is opposed to the US, and his son Peyman who disagrees with his own father and supports the US-led invasion of Iraq.

The story is set in 2002 and 2003 and it focuses on Aslan’s family. Aslant was among Iranian soldiers who put up a fight against Saddam’s army to shield the Iranian city of Khoramshahr from invading forces.

He lost his daughter during invasion. Twenty years on, he sees images of a woman on TV-during the US-led invasion of Iraq and thinks that she is the daughter he lost two decades earlier.

He travels to Ira, which is now under occupation, in search of his lost daughter, locates her, and tries to bring her back home.

The approach of The Spoil, which is set in the thick of war and also features efforts by Aslan to save and American Service woman involved in a serious road accident, is so humanly in nature that makes it an ideal read not just for the Iranians but people all over the world.