Death Is Hard Work

A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEARWINNER OF THE SAIF GHOBASH BANIPAL PRIZEA FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS IN TRANSLATED LITERATUREA FINALIST FOR THE PREMIO GREGOR VON REZZORI AWARDDeath Is Hard Work is a tale of three people embarking on an absurd quest - an unforgettable journey into a contemporary heart of darkness. At a hospital in Damascus, Syria, Abdel Latif's final wish is to be buried in the family plot near Aleppo - just a two-hour drive away. Bolbol, his youngest son, persuades his estranged brother and sister to accompany him and their father's body to the ancestral village. But Syria is a war zone, and the trials that confront the family on their journey will have enormous consequences for them all.