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It is the winter of 1915 and Iraq has been engulfed by the First World War. Hungry for independence from Ottoman rule, Ahmad leaves his peaceful family life on the banks of the Tigris to join the British-led revolt. Thousands of miles away, Welsh teenager Carwyn reluctantly enlists and is sent, via Gallipoli and Egypt, to the Mesopotamia campaign.
Carwyn’s and Ahmad’s paths cross, and their fates are bound together. Both are forever changed, not only by their experience of war, but also by the parallel discrimination and betrayal they face.
Ruqaya Izzidien’s evocative debut novel is rich with the heartbreak and passion that arise when personal loss and political zeal collide, and offers a powerful retelling of the history of British intervention in Iraq.
"In her debut novel, The Watermelon Boys, Ruqaya Izzidien forces the reader to confront the impact of European intervention in the Middle East, and masterfully so."—The National
"Not only does The Watermelon Boys open with a with a pithy (and rather memorable) epigram—'The present is an arrogant time in which to live'—but it is also Tolstoyan in the number of characters and subplots."—Asian Review of Books
"As a reader, be prepared to find yourself gripped to the point where you won't want to read anything else and you will be counting down the time when you can pick the book up again just to have a few more glorious sips."—The New Arab
"Beautifully rendered in rich and evocative prose, Carwyn, Ahmad and his rich-in-love-and-humor family and friends come alive in a way that lifts the soul and sears the heart. Highly recommended."—Historical Novel Society
"Izzidien’s strength lies in her ability to take a complex history and to turn it into the heartbreakingly emotional stories that are the foundation of said history. Her writing is relatable and profound."—Arab News
"Ruqaya Izzidien offers up an intricate tapestry of Iraq during WWI stitched up from the various points of view of a wide cast of strongly fleshed out characters moving in a space that is so well detailed in its description it actually felt as if were cinematic, playing out on an imaginary reel in this reader's mind."—BookFabulous
"[D]eft touches of compassion and vulnerability that amplify the intensity in the scenes of cruelty and terror."—Media Diversified/Writers of Colour
"[S]ensitive and lyrical, her eye for detail enriching descriptive passages."—Arab Hyphen