Description

Longlisted for the 2022 Republic of Consciousness Prize, Five Days Untold narrates the story of a young conscript forced to leave his village and family behind to fight in a bloody and senseless civil war that has raged on for years. Without proper training and his very survival dependent on the vagaries of fate, Ziad must face the unknown alone as he struggles to find his way back home.

As atrocities and instability continue to roil the Middle East, this novel is a timely and sensitive portrayal of the true cost of conflict. Rich in pathos and filled with vivid imagery and cinematic scenes, Five Days Untold paints an unflinching portrait of war on a micro level and weaves together themes related to fate, agency, and the sustaining power of family bonds. Through the multiple perspectives of its characters, the novel skillfully brings into sharp focus the horrors of war while offering a dark meditation on how the past, both collective and individual, impacts the present. And while Ziad’s hellish experience as an army conscript is personal, his struggle and determination to survive are instantly recognizable, drawing the reader deeper into the human dimension of war and conflict.