In U.S.-occupied, bomb-strewn Baghdad, a local eccentric named Hadi collects human body parts and lovingly sews them together, intent on creating a whole corpse representing the city's slain, which he hopes the government will recognize as deserving of a proper burial. But the corpse is stolen, and soon an unkillable monster is marauding about, signifying Iraq's runaway chaos. Winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction; big news coverage here already.

Rising Iraqi author Saadawi offers an incisive look at local life in Baghdad in 2005. The multiple narratives of Elshiva, an ancient madwoman; Hadi the junk dealer; Majid the brigadier; and Mahmoud the journalist intersect to form a complex whole. What binds these characters together is Whatshisname, the reanimated body that Hadi has stitched together, using body parts acquired as byproduct of multiple bombings in the city. The lost soul of a soldier animates the patchwork body, and the story takes off. When Whatshisname visits Elshiva, she believes he is her dead son Daniel. He also visits Hadi, his maker, then embarks on a killing spree to avenge all the people who comprise his parts. As a piece of his body is avenged that piece falls off, leading to a need for a replacement parts. When Hadi tells Mahmoud about this Frankenstein-like character, Mahmoud writes an explosive story for his magazine. The brigadier's paramilitary gets wind of the story and seeks to capture and kill the invulnerable monster. VERDICT Winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, this complex novel weaves the experiences of a diverse group of Iraqis during the chaos of internecine warfare. This Iraqi perspective is one that may surprise and challenge casual readers; highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 7/31/17.]—Henry Bankhead, San Rafael P.L., CA