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This Life or the Next book cover
This Life or the Next
2017
First Published
3.76
Average Rating
352
Number of Pages

From award-winning author Demian Vitanza comes a groundbreaking novel—his first to be translated into English—about one man’s alienation, radicalization, and disillusionment on the violent front lines in Syria. Tariq Khan is a Pakistani born and raised in Norway. An outsider in his own country—adrift between two worlds divided by class, race, and culture—he’s always been searching for home. Alongside a flock of other streetwise young men, each looking for direction and each easily susceptible, Tariq finds his cause in the Muslim revival. Idealistic, driven by faith, and empowered with purpose, he’s drawn to radical Islam—his last resort for achieving a sense of belonging, for embracing and being embraced. It’s only when he enlists in the war against Assad that Tariq’s eyes are truly opened. Dispirited with the violence, faced with the consequences of his choices, and increasingly distanced from the brutalities of jihad, Tariq’s spiritual struggle is now his alone. So are the stories he will tell to make sense of his life. In this daring and unprecedented work of literary fiction, Demian Vitanza explores the power of memory, the lure of rebellion, the search for meaning amid chaos—and the toll that such a journey can take before finally finding one’s way home.

Avg Rating
3.76
Number of Ratings
1,748
5 STARS
22%
4 STARS
41%
3 STARS
29%
2 STARS
5%
1 STARS
2%
goodreads

Author

Demian Vitanza
Demian Vitanza
Author · 2 books
Marco Demian Vitanza (f. 1983) er halvt italiensk, han har vokst opp i Halden, har en master fra London School of Economics og har gått på Aschehougs dramaskole. Eller som han selv liker å si: Marco Demian Vitanza er en ansamling mennesker som bor i samme kropp. "Urak" er deres første bok.
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