"What is it like to lose everything?" they ask him. He replies "What is it like not to?" So starts a deeply moving and disturbing book about the consequences of actions in the Middle East War. Younis, an arab boy who witnesses something he cannot or chooses not to remember, finds himself on a plane hurling towards a new life in Pittsburg. The story chronicles his experiences growing up trying to adjust to the American way of life, while repressing memories and exhibiting Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Woven into this narrative are the soldier he remembers, who is MIA, and the soldier's mother who has started a support group for families of missing and dead veterans.
Flashing back and switching between characters, the story comes together in an unexpected finale. A great book for a book club discussion.
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