Summary

Chapter 9 opens as Nabil, who has escaped Iraq in a minivan, reaches the border with Syria after making a dangerous journey across the Iraqi desert. Nabil cannot believe he has reached safety and is about to be reunited with his family, who fled to Syria earlier. He also cannot believe that he will never see Asmaa again. Then the chapter jumps into backstory and explains why Nabil will never see Asmaa again.

After Rita left, life at the villa became dark, small and fearful because when American forces left in droves Iraq erupted into violence and chaos. The small group of journalists and translators spend their time trying to figure out which atrocities to cover because there are so many to choose from. The Standard sends an Iranian American from the Midwest with no experience in the Middle East and no language skills to...