The Watermelon Boys

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Dreaming of independence for his country, Ahmad leaves his family at home by the Tigris to join the British forces fighting the Ottomans in the Arabian desert. Carwyn, a young man from Wales, travels to fight for the English, first in Egypt, then in Baghdad. Both are forever changed by their experiences of war, discrimination, and betrayal at the hands of the British army, and the heartbreak and passion that arise when personal loss and political zeal collide. Boldly capturing a rich cast of characters in arresting, lyrical writing, The Watermelon Boys offers a powerful retelling of popular narratives of the British campaign in Mesopotamia.