One Hundred and One Nights

A narrative meant to illustrate the fragility and tragedy of postwar Iraq becomes a muddled mess in Buchholz's debut novel (after co-authoring the nonfiction Private Soldiers). Abu Saheeh, the once-promising second son of a prosperous Iraqi family, has returned from a 13-year stint in America to the small town of Safwan, where he now leads a hermetic life selling cell phones and trading in minor contraband. Intent on steeling himself against the turmoil wreaked upon his family and country by the war, Abu's life is happily interrupted by the welcome daily visits of 14-year-old Layla, a girl obsessed with American pop culture and seemingly without family. As Abu and the young girl navigate their newfound friendship in a society intolerant of such relationships, the protagonist must also contend with an insistent and influential local merchant who wishes to see Abu wed a wealthy widow. What might be an engaging story is unfortunately hampered by Buchholz's clumsy method of exposition, whereby Abu reveals his past in irregular dreamlike chunks, and the eventual disclosure of the reasons behind Abu's attachment to Layla are revealed too late to have dramatic impact. (Dec. 2011)