What do you think?
Rate this book
The Muslim Cowboy
In the aftermath of the Iraq war, an odd Iraqi man entranced by Americana and old Western movies dresses in double denim and roams a lawless landscape in search of his own Western story. Amidst the disorder, he meets a young girl, and together they set out across the tank-strewn desert on his trusty camel to find safety.
Written with a simplicity of direction that captivates like a film, The Muslim Cowboy is an extraordinary and mesmerising literary debut about the search for identity, the struggle to reconcile conflicting values, and sacrifice as that great virtue we all must embrace to find meaning and purpose in a world of chaos.
Bruce Omar Yates was born in London to an Indian mother and an English father. He grew up in the south of France before returning to London to study Literature and Film at King’s College London. He was the principal songwriter in the rock groups Famy, who released their album We Fam Econo in 2014, and Los Porcos, who released their album Porco Mio in 2016. The Muslim Cowboy is his first novel.
Written with a simplicity of direction that captivates like a film, The Muslim Cowboy is an extraordinary and mesmerising literary debut about the search for identity, the struggle to reconcile conflicting values, and sacrifice as that great virtue we all must embrace to find meaning and purpose in a world of chaos.
Bruce Omar Yates was born in London to an Indian mother and an English father. He grew up in the south of France before returning to London to study Literature and Film at King’s College London. He was the principal songwriter in the rock groups Famy, who released their album We Fam Econo in 2014, and Los Porcos, who released their album Porco Mio in 2016. The Muslim Cowboy is his first novel.
- GenresFiction
256 pages, Paperback
Published August 22, 2024
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 29, 2024
Really, really incredible. Immensely cinematic and expressive; in very few, fragmented lines of dialogue, the presence these characters have is staggering. I had to stop reading for a week because I was so worried for them at one point. I love this take on the world of the Western - so much cowboy media feels overwrought and contrived to me, and this, in its ludicrous and whimsical adoption of western iconography, manages to repeat some of the most run-of-the-mill genre tropes in a way that feels completely original and revelatory. Using this jarring, out-of-place lens, The American is able to interpret his environment as both an insider and an outsider - I am so fascinated by the idea of him adopting a movie-cowboy identity to distance himself from the horrors of his past, going as far as pretending not to speak Arabic, despite/because of the way it totally ostracises him from his peers. I just adored and admired every aspect of this book. Really something.
August 21, 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
💬 “And then with a start he says, ‘In Iraq it's better not to think about friendship. The most important thing is to survive,’ and then he says, 'Friendship is bad for survival,’ and, ‘To have friends is to be attached, and after two become attached is when they can be split’.”
💭 In THE MUSLIM COWBOY, we meet ‘the American’ and his camel, Hosti, as they’re travelling to an unknown destination - sleeping rough, scavenging food, and trying their best to avoid the pockets of conflict across Iraq. ‘The American’ is very much a lone ranger, inspired by the old Western films he so adores, until one day he meets a young girl, Nadia, and together they set out to find safety.
The complex, ever-changing relationship between ‘the American’ and Nadia was beautifully written. Initially caring for her out of a sense of obligation or duty, we see ‘the American’ end up truly caring for Nadia, a blossoming friendship emerging. Despite the violence that peppers this book’s pages, there are moments of calm, as well as pure joy, shared between these two characters which were wonderful to read.
THE MUSLIM COWBOY tells the story of an unlikely friendship and survival against all odds. Yates skilfully combines many themes seen in Western films with the complex and volatile nature of post-war Iraq, creating an incredibly unique story, that I ended up thoroughly enjoying.
💬 “And then with a start he says, ‘In Iraq it's better not to think about friendship. The most important thing is to survive,’ and then he says, 'Friendship is bad for survival,’ and, ‘To have friends is to be attached, and after two become attached is when they can be split’.”
💭 In THE MUSLIM COWBOY, we meet ‘the American’ and his camel, Hosti, as they’re travelling to an unknown destination - sleeping rough, scavenging food, and trying their best to avoid the pockets of conflict across Iraq. ‘The American’ is very much a lone ranger, inspired by the old Western films he so adores, until one day he meets a young girl, Nadia, and together they set out to find safety.
The complex, ever-changing relationship between ‘the American’ and Nadia was beautifully written. Initially caring for her out of a sense of obligation or duty, we see ‘the American’ end up truly caring for Nadia, a blossoming friendship emerging. Despite the violence that peppers this book’s pages, there are moments of calm, as well as pure joy, shared between these two characters which were wonderful to read.
THE MUSLIM COWBOY tells the story of an unlikely friendship and survival against all odds. Yates skilfully combines many themes seen in Western films with the complex and volatile nature of post-war Iraq, creating an incredibly unique story, that I ended up thoroughly enjoying.
October 9, 2024
This was an interesting story, but for me I found it lacking. The camel moaned far too much but the theme of identity and belonging kept me reading. The ending is left open for the reader to wonder what happened next, which is one of my pet peeves.
February 11, 2026
One of the most stylistically cinematic books I’ve read in a while — bold, creative, and completely its own thing. It reads like a film unfolding on the page. Shout out to my co-worker Bruce - I learned a new interesting fact about him every day that I was in our London office, and it culminated with the fact that he wrote a book.... Looking forward to the next one from a true Renaissance man.
August 24, 2024
I loved this book. Bruce took an intriguing concept and took it far beyond a gimmick to weave both a loving homage to a genre and a beautiful, painful, nuanced evocation of a difficult country and the people who call it home. With a sparsely drawn yet perfectly rendered cast, this is a story that lingers in the back corners of your mind - one of Dead Ink's best yet.
October 1, 2024
I think this book really would have benefitted from being longer. The premise and the idea is amazing but I think it lacked a bit of development for me.
September 3, 2024
- A true western
- Two real lives
- A poetic retelling
- Two real lives
- A poetic retelling
June 21, 2026
There's nothing in the author's bio to suggest any connection with Iraq, so I do wonder a little how he came to write this fascinating wee book. I've seen that he wanted to explore the idea of frontiers (drawing a parallel between the USA and Iraq) and to look at modern Iraq through the lens of the Western. It's no surprise to see that Cormac McCarthy's The Road is a strong influence - the two books even feel the same. The Saga of Billy The Kid by Walter Noble Burns is also here, as are a number of other novels.
What I haven't come across before is the particular writing style, it is ostensibly quite simple, particularly in the choice of words, but then I started to notice that the sentences tended to be long and contain subordinate clauses, some important and complex ideas were being expressed and then, every so often, some quite unusual words would pop up.
The central character is just "the man" at the beginning, although the novel shows three stages of development: he is soon dubbed The American, and ultimately he becomes the man who was the American. He is never named. He's taken on a very American cowboy identity, down to the denim and hat he wears, the speaking of English, love of Coca Cola and the many Western movies he's watched. This leads to trouble in this post war Iraq, but he sticks with it
Each chapter is named after a Western movies, and some plot point or moral extracted from one or more of them often becomes important to guide conduct. Here's a little about the importance of the movies
It's not clear what he's up to, apart from walking through Iraq, aided by his incredibly failthful camel Hosti. He soon encounters a memento of the war: a flock of rusting US tanks and a former barracks. He keeps walking, after scavenging whatever he can (it's not much - some Coke) until he comes across a young (11 or 12 year old) girl, Nadia in an abandoned, ruined small town in the desert. The main action of the novel is his efforts to save her.
He rescues her from armed men in a black Humvee (Ali Babas according to her) but then what? First, he has to stop speaking English so he can communicate with her. Then they bury her mother before watching Shane together. At the end of the movie, Shane leaves the young boy behind, to be with his family, prompting Nadia to ask if she'll be left behind. The man realises that Nadia is not in the same position as the boy, as she has no family, so has less of a chance. If he ignores parallels with Shane and takes her with him, something "more noble and of more honor" than mere survival might be possible, even "satisfaction or fulfilment". Not that kind of satisfaction!
He has a plan to leave her with Ali, a sort of friend (he doesn't really believe in friends, as experience has shown him that "friendship is bad for survival" in Iraq) - but Ali's Shia and she's Sunni, so that can't happen. Thinking of True Grit and the partnership there with Mattie, he decides they're partners - and to make him even more American, he how has a Colt. The plan then is to head for the border with Jordan, as she'll never be safe in Iraq.
Things go a little wrong as they try to enter the city from which to catch the train to Jordan - some out of control militia take against them. There's also a little humour here, as he realises that other people have things like ID cards and money - the lack of both creates problems, but Americans have been catching trains without tickets as long as trains have existed although, admittedly, not with a camel in tow. Like so many Westerns, the train is hijacked, Nadia is kidnapped and the American being left for dead twice (once, to be run over by the train, cable tied to the tracks): his escape from both is nothing short of miraculous. More stuff happens. The end.
What I haven't come across before is the particular writing style, it is ostensibly quite simple, particularly in the choice of words, but then I started to notice that the sentences tended to be long and contain subordinate clauses, some important and complex ideas were being expressed and then, every so often, some quite unusual words would pop up.
The central character is just "the man" at the beginning, although the novel shows three stages of development: he is soon dubbed The American, and ultimately he becomes the man who was the American. He is never named. He's taken on a very American cowboy identity, down to the denim and hat he wears, the speaking of English, love of Coca Cola and the many Western movies he's watched. This leads to trouble in this post war Iraq, but he sticks with it
[At] times when his silence only served to further agitate a troublemaker the American had from time to time known the full fury of a beating ... each left their mark, and while the pain of such beatings hadn't outweighed that which had brought him in the direction of his garb, he hadn't enjoyed them and did want to avoid them in frequency if he could.It's not said why he has taken on this persona - but a lot of the book references the schism between Sunni and Shia Muslims, so I wonder if he has allegiances to both versions of the religion.
Each chapter is named after a Western movies, and some plot point or moral extracted from one or more of them often becomes important to guide conduct. Here's a little about the importance of the movies
And in those movies the man hadn't only seen the distinct templates for good men and bad men and for a life of questing and justice where actions could lead to clear consequences in contrast to the many ambiguities that had been imposed on him and his country of late, but he had also seen the template for the life of a survivalist, and though his favourite characters were maybe of ignorance and self-indulgence they were also of fairness and honour. And it was those characters who had seemed good men for him to learn from and those films that had become practically applicable to living in a land that had long been operated on the raw logic of survival.
It's not clear what he's up to, apart from walking through Iraq, aided by his incredibly failthful camel Hosti. He soon encounters a memento of the war: a flock of rusting US tanks and a former barracks. He keeps walking, after scavenging whatever he can (it's not much - some Coke) until he comes across a young (11 or 12 year old) girl, Nadia in an abandoned, ruined small town in the desert. The main action of the novel is his efforts to save her.
He rescues her from armed men in a black Humvee (Ali Babas according to her) but then what? First, he has to stop speaking English so he can communicate with her. Then they bury her mother before watching Shane together. At the end of the movie, Shane leaves the young boy behind, to be with his family, prompting Nadia to ask if she'll be left behind. The man realises that Nadia is not in the same position as the boy, as she has no family, so has less of a chance. If he ignores parallels with Shane and takes her with him, something "more noble and of more honor" than mere survival might be possible, even "satisfaction or fulfilment". Not that kind of satisfaction!
He has a plan to leave her with Ali, a sort of friend (he doesn't really believe in friends, as experience has shown him that "friendship is bad for survival" in Iraq) - but Ali's Shia and she's Sunni, so that can't happen. Thinking of True Grit and the partnership there with Mattie, he decides they're partners - and to make him even more American, he how has a Colt. The plan then is to head for the border with Jordan, as she'll never be safe in Iraq.
Things go a little wrong as they try to enter the city from which to catch the train to Jordan - some out of control militia take against them. There's also a little humour here, as he realises that other people have things like ID cards and money - the lack of both creates problems, but Americans have been catching trains without tickets as long as trains have existed although, admittedly, not with a camel in tow. Like so many Westerns, the train is hijacked, Nadia is kidnapped and the American being left for dead twice (once, to be run over by the train, cable tied to the tracks): his escape from both is nothing short of miraculous. More stuff happens. The end.
August 2, 2026
This month I’m reading Westerns or Western-adjacent novels and this one immediately caught my attention. It’s from a British publisher so not easy to find; I had to get a used copy on eBay. While it has Western elements– our main character dresses in denim, rides a trusty steed (a camel), vapes, is a loner, and is obsessed with old Hollywood Western movies– “The Muslim Cowboy” is more about vulnerability, humanity, and survival.
During his travels in his home country of Iraq, the MC stumbles across a young girl whose town has been destroyed and she has been left an orphan. Knowing the fate that likely awaits her if he abandons her, the MC spends the rest of the book trying to find somewhere to deposit her safely. Unfortunately, in a post-war Iraq, every faction is hunting down their own enemies, making safety anywhere a seemingly impossible goal.
My issues with the book: extreme overuse and misuse of the word “wince”; he used a synonym (“grimace”) exactly one time. As far as I can tell, Mr. Yates has no connection to Iraq, which dampened my enthusiasm for the story a little bit. I was also not particularly fond of the very long sentences combined with the writing style. And if you’re not familiar with, or a fan of, Western movies (as I am not), there’s going to be a lot of regurgitating plots that are not all that interesting. Finally, the MC was so absolutely dumb that I had to suspend my disbelief more than I have ever had to do for a work of general fiction.
This was honestly a great, original concept, with a lot of heart-warming and bittersweet elements that show how complicated the world is, but the execution was just not my favorite.
During his travels in his home country of Iraq, the MC stumbles across a young girl whose town has been destroyed and she has been left an orphan. Knowing the fate that likely awaits her if he abandons her, the MC spends the rest of the book trying to find somewhere to deposit her safely. Unfortunately, in a post-war Iraq, every faction is hunting down their own enemies, making safety anywhere a seemingly impossible goal.
My issues with the book: extreme overuse and misuse of the word “wince”; he used a synonym (“grimace”) exactly one time. As far as I can tell, Mr. Yates has no connection to Iraq, which dampened my enthusiasm for the story a little bit. I was also not particularly fond of the very long sentences combined with the writing style. And if you’re not familiar with, or a fan of, Western movies (as I am not), there’s going to be a lot of regurgitating plots that are not all that interesting. Finally, the MC was so absolutely dumb that I had to suspend my disbelief more than I have ever had to do for a work of general fiction.
This was honestly a great, original concept, with a lot of heart-warming and bittersweet elements that show how complicated the world is, but the execution was just not my favorite.
April 28, 2025
I keep a list on my phone of books to recommend when everyone inevitably asks for something to read in January. They’re usually books that move with the pace of a good film — and The Muslim Cowboy is now firmly on that list.
It’s kind of a retelling of True Grit, but set in modern-day Iraq, complete with a camel sidekick. It kicks up dust from the very first page and barely lets up. It’s fast, fun, and a genuinely enjoyable ride. It’s not the kind of book that’s going to change your life, but it’s exactly the sort of thing you’re glad to have tucked away, ready to dip into whenever you’ve got a spare few minutes.
Also, pretty sure this is the first book I’ve ever read where the main character vapes? Weird thing to start to see on page, but still I guess even fictional characters are ditching cigarettes now. Lame.
It’s kind of a retelling of True Grit, but set in modern-day Iraq, complete with a camel sidekick. It kicks up dust from the very first page and barely lets up. It’s fast, fun, and a genuinely enjoyable ride. It’s not the kind of book that’s going to change your life, but it’s exactly the sort of thing you’re glad to have tucked away, ready to dip into whenever you’ve got a spare few minutes.
Also, pretty sure this is the first book I’ve ever read where the main character vapes? Weird thing to start to see on page, but still I guess even fictional characters are ditching cigarettes now. Lame.
November 20, 2024
This is an interesting concept, marrying together old Western movies with the sweeping landscape of Iraq and the post-war horrors. I don't much like Western movies, and so the movie descriptions were a bit lost on me. However I loved the concept, the imagery of the landscape and the constant threat of the Ali Baba's or others that will cause them harm. Once absorbed in the book I appreciated the lyrical language and found "The American" such an interesting character.
A fitting ending in my opinion, there's no happily ever after but that wouldn't have fitted a book set in Iraq at this time.
A fitting ending in my opinion, there's no happily ever after but that wouldn't have fitted a book set in Iraq at this time.
October 19, 2025
I want to preface this review by saying I really enjoyed the story of this book, and there were points where I was brought to tears. It’s so cinematic and descriptive I could picture some scenes as if they were a movie. That being said, it also felt unnecessarily hard to read. Why such long sentences? Maybe it’s some literary technique used to built tension that I’m too dumb to understand? If so, for me it had the opposite effect. I had to keep starting sentences again to process what was actually being said. If it wasn’t for that it would be 4 stars from me.
June 11, 2025
I wanted to like this book. The premise is intriguing, but the book fails in its execution. I'll describe the style in one word: tedious. The novel wastes a lot of time on dramatized routine and spends pages summarizing the plot of multiple Westerns to limited effect.
The best character is Hosti, the camel.
The best character is Hosti, the camel.
May 13, 2026
A brilliantly crafted narrative. A unique, Western-obsessed protagonist heads out on a classic cowboy-style adventure in Iraq. I really loved the way the story gradually unfolded, becoming ever more action packed whilst simultaneously providing a window into the complex cultural politics of the country.
October 30, 2024
Such an intriguing read. I could really imagine the settings and the characters. Different from my usual reads.
November 7, 2024
Really loved it, great writing as I felt I watch a film! Can’t wait for it to become an actual film 😁
November 19, 2024
Beautifully written book, lovely cinematic imagery and the building of the characters.
Took a bit of time to get into the book itself.
Would recommend!
Took a bit of time to get into the book itself.
Would recommend!
January 12, 2025
You had me at vaping cowboy. You also lost me at vaping cowboy
May 7, 2025
simple yet rich storytelling, covering place and space with an effective pacing to the narrative
compelling characters with a neatly tied threads and emotional depth overlayed throughout
compelling characters with a neatly tied threads and emotional depth overlayed throughout
Read
June 23, 2026If i never read about a camel moaning again it will be too soon
April 10, 2025
Ich mochte das cineastische Setting und die Western-Romantik, die aber manchmal zum Karl-May-Kitsch verkommt (der zuerst die Idee hatte, einen Westernhelden durch den Irak reiten zu lassen).
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews