In the dark of night, Hanan al-Hashimi awakens from a nightmare, confused and shaken. Roaming the house in search of some reassurance, she is drawn towards the streak of light under her husband's bedroom door. Little does she know that the beckoning glow will turn her life on its head...

Samar Yazbek is a Syrian writer and journalist, born in Jableh in 1970. She is the author of several works of fiction. An outspoken critic of the Assad regime, but also of what she identifies as erroneous perceptions of ideological conformity within the Syrian Alawite community, Yazbek has been deeply involved in the Syrian uprising since it broke out in March, 2011. Yazbek was the recipient of the PEN/Pinter International Writer of Courage Award 2012, awarded to an author of outstanding literary merit who casts an 'unflinching' eye on the world. Yazbek's memoir A Woman in the Crossfire was published to great acclaim in 2012.