The River Knows My Name, Mortada Gzar
The River Knows My Name, Mortada Gzar
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The River Knows My Name

Author: Mortada Gzar, Luke Leafgren

Narrator: Janet Metzger

Unabridged: 7 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/08/2024

Synopsis

From award-winning writer Mortada Gzar, author of the acclaimed memoir I’m in Seattle, Where Are You?, comes an enthralling and lyrical novel about a girl’s liberating self-discovery in Iraq.Fifteen-year-old Charlotte is restlessly coming of age in early twentieth-century Basra, Iraq. The daughter of a Seattle doctor and missionary, Charlotte craves an adventure of her own making. Just the thought of the steppes, hills, valleys, and the winding river stirs Charlotte’s imagination and sends her compass of flight dancing.So, preferring the wondrous unknown to solicitude, Charlotte packs up copies of her father’s Gospels and a statue of the Baby Jesus and runs away. Then, in a desperate search to find his daughter, Charlotte’s own father goes missing. With the help of two women—the mission’s Sister Baghdadli and Shathra, a guide to the lost—Charlotte embarks on a quest steeped in local lore, and as mysterious and marvelous as the river itself. In turn, Charlotte may find what’s she’s been looking for all along: the ability to stake a claim on her own identity.In this rich and immersive novel, Mortada Gzar explores the power of belief, the drive for escape, and the exhilaration of self-discovery.

About Mortada Gzar

Iraqi novelist, filmmaker, journalist, and visual artist Mortada Gzar was born in Kuwait in 1982, grew up in Basra, Iraq, and now lives in Seattle, Washington. He earned a degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Baghdad and was later a member of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. Gzar is the author of four novels, a children’s book, and a short-story collection; he has illustrated two books for children. English translations of his work have appeared in Words Without Borders, World Literature Today, and Iraq + 100: The First Anthology of Science Fiction to Have Emerged from Iraq, and his journalism and political cartoons are featured in Arabic newspapers. Gzar’s animated films have been featured in international film festivals, his film Language was awarded a grant by the Doha Film Institute, and he created the Seattle Arab Film Festival hosted by the Northwest Film Forum.

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Quotes

“Janet Metzger's narration brings measured depth to an otherwise typical coming-of-age story.… The winding river at the center of Charlotte's quest comes alive, subtly anchoring the listener along the way. Metzger captures the interplay between cultural lore and personal reckoning, showcasing Charlotte's evolving perspective.… Metzger's delivery maintains an even tone, mirroring the contemplative pace, rich detail, and emotional undercurrents of this search for belonging, meaning, and, most of all, family.” —AudioFile Magazine“The novel, written originally in Arabic, has a not-uncommon lyrical style and some use of magic realism. The English translation has maintained these aspects of the original superbly. Most readers would be delighted to read this novel about Charlotte’s adventures in the Iraqi wonderland and gain insight into that region’s history.” —Historical Novels Review“Original, exceptional, eloquently crafted, inherently fascinating and an entertaining read from start to finish, The River Knows My Name is [a] rich and immersive novel with which author Mortada Gzar (ably translated into English by Luke Leafgren) explores the power of belief, the drive for escape, and the exhilaration of self-discovery.” —Midwest Book Review

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