When the Apricots Bloom: Chapter Sampler

By Gina Wilkinson

Join three different women as they form friendships, protect their families, and test political allegiances in the country of Iraq in a special sneak peek of this moving and thrilling novel.

Inspired by her own experiences in Iraq during Saddam Hussein's rule, Gina Wilkinson's evocative, suspenseful debut is told through the eyes of three very different women confronting the limits of friendship and forgiveness, and the strength of a mother's love.

At night, in Huda's fragrant garden, a breeze sweeps in from the desert encircling Baghdad, rustling the leaves of her apricot trees and carrying warning of visitors at her gate. Huda, a secretary at the Australian embassy, lives in fear of the mukhabarat--the secret police who watch and listen for any scrap of information that can be used against America and its allies. They have ordered her to befriend Ally Wilson, the deputy ambassador's wife. Huda has no wish to be an informant, but fears for her teenage son, who may be forced to join a deadly militia. Nor does she know that Ally has dangerous secrets of her own.

Huda's former friend, Rania, enjoyed a privileged upbringing as the daughter of a sheikh. Now her family's wealth is gone, and Rania too is battling to keep her child safe and a roof over their heads. As the women's lives intersect, their hidden pasts spill into the present. Facing possible betrayal at every turn, all three must trust in a fragile, newfound loyalty, even as they discover how much they are willing to sacrifice to protect their families.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kensington Books
• Release date: Apr 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781496734655

Gina Wilkinson

Gina Wilkinson is a former foreign correspondent, award-winning journalist, and documentary maker who's reported from some of the world's most intriguing and perilous places for the BBC, NPR, the ABC, and other renowned public broadcasters. Originally from Australia, she spent two decades reporting from hotspots across the globe and now lives outside of Washington, D.C.

Book preview

come."

Chapter One

Huda paced her backyard, trying to brush off her spat with her husband. In the distance, above Al Dora Refinery, columns of flames pierced the night. An easterly wind pushed the stench of the burning gas away from New Baghdad, so all Huda could smell were the orange and apricot trees by the fence. She knew the wind could turn at any time, but right then the gas flares were beautiful, like candles lined up on a giant’s birthday cake.

The bell rang at the front gate. Huda paused mid-step and wondered, had Abdul Amir forgotten his keys when he stormed off to the coffee shop? Or had her husband cooled down and decided to eat dinner with her after all? Huda hurried inside through the kitchen door. A nougat box lay spread-eagled on the counter, cellophane wrappers strewn like evidence of a hasty crime. Huda frowned and swept them into the bin. So much for her diet.

The bell sounded again. Something in its flat, insistent tone made her falter. She scurried down the hallway, heels slapping against the tile. In the foyer, she paused by a console table decorated with family portraits. The largest of the pewter frames faced the wall. Huda flipped it around. The President stared back at her, eyes dark as tar. Medals marched across his chest.

She quickly moved the president’s portrait to a prominent position between a photo of her and Abdul Amir on their wedding day, and a snap of their son, Khalid, wearing a suit and tie at his 13th birthday party. Next, she set to work unlocking the front door: unlatching chains, turning keys, sliding deadbolts. She ran her hands over her hair and heaved open the door. Two secret police officers strode down the driveway.

Huda quivered. Lock the bolts, hide under the bed, she thought. But she knew that wouldn’t work. These men were like dogs: show fear and they bite. Behind them, the padlock from the gate lay in chunks on the concrete. The broken metal caught the glare of the floodlights over the carport. The larger of the two men shoved a pair of bolt cutters into the pocket of his leather jacket. Huda imagined his pockets contained all sorts of instruments: for breaking, slicing, and prizing apart.

"Salaam aleykoom. Her voice wobbled. What brings you here tonight, my countrymen?"

Sister, my apologies for a visit at the dinner hour, called Abu Issa, the older and slighter of the two men. He too was wearing a boxy leather jacket. Men like him were never without them, night or day, even when the sun scorched the blue from the sky and the bitumen on the roads melted into sticky pools.

Without waiting for an invitation, Abu Issa and his bolt-cutting partner barreled through the front door. Their bulk filled the foyer and pushed the oxygen out. Huda retreated down the hallway, careful not to turn her back. The men followed. Sand crunched beneath their boots—no amount of sweeping could keep the desert out. The fine grains went where they wanted, just like the officers of the mukhabarat.

May I offer you tea? Huda’s voice came out high and tight.

Yes please, dear, said Abu Issa. Three sugars.

Two only for me, grunted the larger man. I’m watching my weight.

Huda waved them into the sitting room and then ducked into the kitchen. In the window above the sink, her reflection stared back at her. Her large, dark eyes were even wider than normal and her plump cheeks were whittled into tight angles. The mouth that Abdul Amir once likened to a rosebud was a bloodless line. No matter how often Huda saw it, she was always surprised by how fear transformed the most familiar face into that of a stranger.

She asked herself, why were Abu Issa and his partner here? It had been only two weeks since their last visit. Please, Khalid, she prayed, forget your curfew. Stay at Bakr’s and play computer games.

Huda quickly warmed the tea in the kettle and poured it into three thimble-sized istikan glasses. The liquid leaped over the hourglass sides and pooled in the delicate saucers. She wiped them clean, balanced the tea, sugar bowl, and spoons on a tray, and carried them into the sitting room.

Sit, sit. Abu Issa waved her towards a corner chair—as if he was the host and she was the visitor. His bolt cutting partner stared at her, eyes flat as night. Huda’s breath bunched in her throat.

Let us chat, said Abu Issa, about your work at the Australian embassy.

Huda nodded. This was not the first time the mukhabarat had come asking questions about events at the embassy: correspondence and meetings, comings and goings, the latest rumors. Everyone who worked with foreigners could expect such visits. Her lacquered nails carved half-moons into her palms. Think of your good salary, she reminded herself. Besides, if it wasn’t her job, the secret police would find some other pretense to sit on her couch, to drink her tea, to gauge her fealty.

How can I help you, Abu Issa? She figured a rotten tooth was best pulled fast. Is there anything in particular that you would like to know?

How is your relationship with Deputy Ambassador Wilson progressing? He sipped his tea daintily, little finger splayed in the air. Does he trust you?

I do my best to be reliable and professional.

But does he trust you? Confide in you?

Huda returned the istikan to her lap. Once again, liquid splashed into the saucer and stared at her like a baleful amber eye.

He hasn’t told me anything unusual. She forced a smile, even as her pulse throbbed at her neck. I do routine typing and filing, as you know. I translate his letters when he has matters to convey to our beloved government.

And what of his wife?

Huda blinked.

His wife?

How well do you know her? Are you friends?

Ally seems nice enough. Huda shrugged. Once in a while, she comes to the office to break her boredom, that’s all.

Abu Issa raised the tea glass to his lips. He wore a sharp-edged ring with the President’s eagle crest. If he slapped her cheek, it would draw blood.

No doubt your boss tells his wife all manner of things, said Abu Issa. "The foreigners call it pillow talk."

Huda stiffened. Her istikan rattled in its saucer.

These Western men are reliant on their wives’ advice. They call them partners. Abu Issa shook his head. Is it a business or a marriage?

The two men snickered, disgust audible amid their amusement. Abruptly, the Boltcutter sat forward and ladled sugar into his tea. The small glass looked ridiculous in his meaty hand. He would need no ring to bloody her cheek.

These Western women, they like to talk. The humor drained from Abu Issa’s laugh.

Every day they go on television and bare their shameful secrets to the cameras, for anyone to see. They confess their sins to some Negro woman called Oprah. It should not be a difficult task then, to win her confidence.

The men eyed her intently. Huda stared at the floor.

We want you to befriend the diplomat’s wife. If the West acts to destabilize our beloved nation, or God forbid, strike us again with their unholy missiles, your boss will certainly receive warning. He may let it slip to his wife. And surely, he would make plans to send her out of the country.

I don’t think—

Stay close to the diplomat’s wife. Abu Issa sat forward. "Watch and listen. She may give us early warning, like a dog that howls before the sharqi blows in from the desert."

The front door rattled. The knob thumped against the foyer wall. Khalid’s sneakers squelched over the tiles in the hallway.

Mom? Dad?

Huda’s heart constricted. She put down her tea and dashed out to the hall. Khalid loped towards her, clutching a fragment of the padlock in his fist.

Somebody cut the—

I am busy with guests, my son. She blocked his path. Go to your room and wait for me.

But the lock… He peered past her shoulder. Who’s that? Where’s Dad?

Huda grabbed both of Khalid’s shoulders. She wanted to hug him tight, to crush him to her chest and never let go. Instead she steered him towards his room.

Do your homework. Now.

Ouch! Khalid twisted out of her grip. Your nails hurt.

She fixed him with her most evil eye. It was the type of glare usually reserved for his most heinous crimes, like the time he cursed in front of his grandmother or when he and Bakr climbed the orange tree and bared their backsides at the teenage girls next door.

Go! she hissed.

Khalid shot a final glance past her shoulder then slouched towards his bedroom. Huda crept back to the sitting room. The mukhabarat had finished their tea.

We will leave you now, sister. It is late and no doubt you want to take care of your son. Abu Issa rose to his feet. He is your most precious possession, is he not?

* * *

It was almost midnight when Huda gave up waiting for Abdul Amir to come home, and crawled into bed. Above her head, the blades of the fan pushed warm air around the bedroom. She lay on her back and catalogued the noise of the night: the buzz of the florescent light in the foyer, the gritty wind scraping at the windows, the click-clack of nocturnal insects. She kept her breathing shallow, listening for the dull snap

Reviews for When the Apricots Bloom

[bettytaylor56 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of three women living in the shadow of dictator Saddam Hussein. Huda and Rania were childhood friends in Basra but now live in Baghdad. Ally is the wife of an Australian diplomat assigned to Baghdad. She is searching for information about her mother whom she lost at a very early age. Huda is forced to inform on Ally, or her son will be forced to join Hussein’s fedayeen. The beauty of Rania’s daughter has come to the attention of Hussein’s secret police. Rania knows she has to get her daughter out of Iraq to protect her from Uday Hussein. The lives of these three courageous women become intertwined as they confront the intricacies of friendship and betrayal under the thumb of Hussein’s puppets.Full of suspense and beautifully written, this book reflects the terror of living in Iraq during Saddam Hussein’s reign.

[romonko · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was a sweeping panoramic view of what living in Iraq was like during Saddam Hussein's rule. It tells the story of three women caught in the web that was Iraq during the late 1990's. Each woman is different, and each has their own heartaches and most of all their own secrets. Huda is an Iraqi woman who happens to work in the Australian embassy in Baghdad. This position gives her unusual power and influence for an Iraqi woman. Rania is also an Iraqi women, but she grew up in a privileged home as the daughter of a Sheik before the takeover by Saddam. Ally has dangerous secrets as well and she is the wife of the Australian diplomat located in Baghdad. Fate brings these three women together which eventually leads them to one common goal. Baghdad is not a safe place for many people during this time. Everyone does what they have to in order to survive and protect their families. Above all, they must keep their secrets from Saddam's brutish secret police. The book is full of twists and turns and suspense upon suspense. This is a debut novel for Gina Wilkinson so a remarkable achievement for her. She has drawn upon her own experiences as a war correspondent which makes this book authentic and a must-read for anyone who would like to know a bit more about Saddam Hussein's Iraq at the turn of the millennium. As always the cost of guerrilla warfare to women and children is much higher than we can imagine living in the western world.

[karenherndon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quick, easy fun read.

[melaniehope · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story is loosely based on the author's actual time spent living in Iran under the rule of Saddam Hussein.The story centers around three women. One is a diplomat's wife, Ally Wilson whose husband works at the Australian embassy. Huda is an Iranian woman who is a secretary at the same embassy. Because of her work with foreigners, she is approached and coerced into spying for the secret police. She is told to befriend Ally and find out any information. However, Huda soon find herself torn between using Ally and her connection to her as a real friend.Rania is a former friend of Huda's. She used to live a life of priviledge but all that has changed under Saddam's tyrannical rule. These three women's lives intersect when they all find themselves in precarious situations that could threaten their lives or their children's.Well written story worth reading! I received a complimentary copy as part of the Goodreads Giveaway program.

[jtsolakos · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A suspenseful novel told through the eyes of three different women during Saddam Hussein's rule of Iraq. This is a lovely read of friendship, trust, and loyalty. The author brings her own life experience in Iraq into this novel which adds to the realism of this novel. One of the novel's best features is the number of "What would I do moments?" Stop and think, how lucky we are here.

[misslissa23 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! I’m never one to want a book made into a movie, but this is an exception. Someone make one...stat! This had me at the edge of my seat. It was so descriptive. I could visualize everything. Practically smell it even! Such a beautiful and culturally important story that everyone needs to read.

[donna.arnold · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was excited to read "When the Apricots Bloom" by Gina Wilkinson, and it didn't disappoint me. While the book is fiction, the author writes from her own knowledge and experiences while working in Iraq as a journalist. This book is set in the early 2000s in Baghdad under the regime of Sadam Hussein. It tells the horror and hardships of living under Hussein's regime, particularly being a women.There are three main characters two of which are Iraqi, Rania, a daughter of a sheikh and Huda her less privileged, very close childhood friend. The third is Ally, the wife of an Australian ambassador. All three lives become dangerously entangled, it's complicated and intense.The book is well written with three strong, interesting women whose lives intersect. It's thought provoking and moving story about loyalty, betrayal, forgiveness and hope.

[m.belljackson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When the Apricots Bloom creates a mystery with its title. Who will know? Where will we be when we know?It illuminates a time In history that has suddenly become a frightening possibility following the terrorist invasion of The Capitol.Saddam Hussein and Hitler can no longer be confined to our memory as trump's dictates resulted in the deaths of over 400,000Americans and the

[brangwinn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to put this book down and blot the memories of what life was like for real people in Saddam’s Iraq. When Huda is asked by the secret police to spy on the Australian deputy ambassador’s wife, she has no choice, the secret police are threatening her son. Ally Wilson hopes that her husband’s posting to Baghdad will help her track down information about her mother who was a nurse there in the 1970’s, but she’s unaware of how her interest threatens the safety of her Iraqi friends. Huda’s childhood friend, Rainia, an artist is also drawn into the terror of the secret police when they threaten her daughter’s future by offering her to Saddam’s equally sadistic brother. This was so suspenseful and the danger so real, I, a lifelong Democrat, kept hoping George W Bush would ride in on his white horse to save them. This debut novel was inspired by Gina Wilkinson’s experience in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Don’t skip the author’s notes at the end.

[renee581 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a stunningly beautiful and haunting portrait of friendship and camaraderie in times of uncertainty and even danger. The fact that this story is inspired by the author's own time being stationed in Baghdad only adds to the layers of detail and first-hand knowledge that this book expertly and touchingly uses to tell the story of women and how their love, friendship, and loyalty enrobe and fall away at times of stress and turmoil in their homeland.I love how the scenes are described in this book and how they use all the senses to make clear to the reader this sometimes foreign setting. Reading this book made me feel like I was actually there and could feel the air and smell the spices and garden blooms. I love books like this that transport me away and make me feel a deeper interest and investment in the story and the characters throughout.

[shelleyraec · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Inspired by Gina Wilkinson’s own experiences as a diplomat’s wife in Iraq, When the Apricots Bloom is a thought-provoking and moving story about loyalty, betrayal, forgiveness, and hope.Set in Baghdad in 2002, the novel unfolds from the perspectives of three women - Ally, the wife of an Australian ambassador; Huda, Ally’s husband’s secretary; and Raina, Huda’s childhood friend.Under Saddam Hussein’s regime, Iraq is defined by loss, suspicion, and fear, the mukhabarat lurk everywhere looking for any sign of disloyalty to their ‘great leader’, visiting swift and brutal punishment on anyone who dare to speak against him. Listening devices are used routinely in homes and public spaces, dissidents disappear, or are made examples of. Americans are banned from the country, and representatives of other western countries, particularly women, are barely tolerated. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you? Two can keep a secret only when one of them is dead.”By failing to declare her dual citizenship, and her previous career as a journalist, Ally is in a precarious position that only worsens when she attempts to learn more about her late mother, who thirty years earlier spent time as a nurse in Baghdad. Naive regarding the risks to both herself, her husband, and anyone else she involves in her task, Ally will be forced to make a difficult choice.When ordered by the mukhabarat (secret police) to befriend Ally and learn her secrets, Huda, whose husband is unemployed after the country’s economic collapse, has no other choice but to agree if she is to keep her teenage son safe from being conscripted into the fedayeen (death squad). As the police apply increasing pressure for information, Huda grows desperate, and demands help from Raina, once her closest childhood friend, whom she holds responsible for the execution of her brothers.A sheik’s daughter, now an art dealer, whose family’s wealth and influence has dwindled to almost nothing, Raina is also worried for her daughter’s safety when one of Hussein’s son’s expresses interest in fourteen year old Hanan. She has little to offer Huda, but suggests the two women together can find a way to save their children.“If the blood oath is broken,” she declared theatrically, “then the penalty is sorrow.” “Sorrow for the oath breaker,” she declared, “and for the generation that follows her.”Demonstrating that women the world over will do what they must to protect their children, When the Apricots Bloom explores the circumstances in which Huda, Raina and Ally find themselves in, caught between the past and the future, forced to choose between duty and love.The three main characters of When the Apricots Bloom are well-developed, though it was Huda who I found the most interesting, and whose fate I cared more for. Ally and Raina have protections, and choices, that Huda does not, and as such I considered her the braver of the trio. Huda is forced to walk such a thin line, I felt tense each time she was confronted by the mukhabarat, and my heart was in my throat during the final scenes.Wilkinson’s insights into the daily life of Iraqi citizens under Hussein’s totalitarian rule are fascinating, portraying a country crippled by war, an economy destroyed by sanctions, and a populace oppressed by terror, all contrasting sharply to the glimpses of life in Baghdad before Hussein’s rise to power. Abandoning their country is nevertheless a wrench for the Huda and Raina, and Ally is disappointed to leave without answers to her questions.“In a perfect world, we could wait until the apricots bloom. Alas, the world is not perfect.”Expressive, evocative, and convincingly authentic, I found When the Apricots Bloom to an an absorbing read.