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Floodlines: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 24 Feb 26- GenresLiterary Fiction
336 pages, Paperback
Expected publication February 24, 2026
79 people want to read
About the author
Saleem Haddad
8 books280 followersSaleem Haddad was born in Kuwait City to an Iraqi-German mother and a Palestinian-Lebanese father.
His first novel, Guapa, was published in 2016, receiving critical acclaim from The New Yorker, The Guardian, and others, and was awarded both a Stonewall Honour and the 2017 Polari First Book Prize.
He has also published a number of short stories, including for the Palestinian sci-fi anthology Palestine +100. He also writes for film and television; his directorial debut, Marco, premiered in March 2019 and was nominated for the 2019 Iris Prize for ‘Best British Short Film’. His work has been supported by institutions such as Yaddo and the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin.
He is currently based in Lisbon, with roots in London, Amman, and Beirut
His first novel, Guapa, was published in 2016, receiving critical acclaim from The New Yorker, The Guardian, and others, and was awarded both a Stonewall Honour and the 2017 Polari First Book Prize.
He has also published a number of short stories, including for the Palestinian sci-fi anthology Palestine +100. He also writes for film and television; his directorial debut, Marco, premiered in March 2019 and was nominated for the 2019 Iris Prize for ‘Best British Short Film’. His work has been supported by institutions such as Yaddo and the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin.
He is currently based in Lisbon, with roots in London, Amman, and Beirut
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A multi-generational novel, Floodlines mainly focuses on the turbulent relationship between three Iraqi-British sisters (Ishtar, Zainab, and Mediha) as they navigate displacement, war, violence, love, family secrets, and more throughout their lives.
This is one the best books I’ve ever read! It is so beautifully written and powerfully haunting in its descriptions. The book opens with the perspective of Nizar, the son of Zainab. He is a war journalist living in London, but has recently started doing sex work. Through his pov, we come to understand how his past and his identity have shaped his relationships. A lot of his pov is him reflecting on his past relationship with a man named Alfie. These moments were really heartbreaking to read, evident through Nizar’s own fervent heartbreak.
Throughout the book we also get Zainab’s and Ishtar’s perspectives, as well as their mother’s, Bridget’s. In all these povs, we come to understand the family better and how each perspective tells the same story but with different perceptions and feelings. I thought this was so well done and I was really invested in each character’s thoughts and memories. I also loved the descriptions of Baghdad. So many of the character’s thoughts are them reflecting on how they remember Baghdad; the streets they walked, the places they lived, the jobs they went to. Later, they reflect on its many changes, both known and unknown; how wars, foreign intervention, and colonialism have changed the landscapes of not just Baghdad, but Iraq as a whole. The perfect way to describe this novel would be “nostalgia.” And while the characters are nostalgic of the past, they are also running away from it.
In general, I loved the story, and I loved the characters, even though they could be frustrating at times (one in particular made me angry). Haddad did an amazing job at representing both the good and bad parts of them. These characters are not perfect; they have made mistakes and hurt others. Life is complex and people contain multitudes and I love when books tackle that unflinchingly, which is what Floodlines does.
This is truly a wonderful book and I’m so grateful to have gotten an ARC for it (thank you Europa Press and Netgalley)! Floodlines releases February 12! 🩷
This is one the best books I’ve ever read! It is so beautifully written and powerfully haunting in its descriptions. The book opens with the perspective of Nizar, the son of Zainab. He is a war journalist living in London, but has recently started doing sex work. Through his pov, we come to understand how his past and his identity have shaped his relationships. A lot of his pov is him reflecting on his past relationship with a man named Alfie. These moments were really heartbreaking to read, evident through Nizar’s own fervent heartbreak.
Throughout the book we also get Zainab’s and Ishtar’s perspectives, as well as their mother’s, Bridget’s. In all these povs, we come to understand the family better and how each perspective tells the same story but with different perceptions and feelings. I thought this was so well done and I was really invested in each character’s thoughts and memories. I also loved the descriptions of Baghdad. So many of the character’s thoughts are them reflecting on how they remember Baghdad; the streets they walked, the places they lived, the jobs they went to. Later, they reflect on its many changes, both known and unknown; how wars, foreign intervention, and colonialism have changed the landscapes of not just Baghdad, but Iraq as a whole. The perfect way to describe this novel would be “nostalgia.” And while the characters are nostalgic of the past, they are also running away from it.
In general, I loved the story, and I loved the characters, even though they could be frustrating at times (one in particular made me angry). Haddad did an amazing job at representing both the good and bad parts of them. These characters are not perfect; they have made mistakes and hurt others. Life is complex and people contain multitudes and I love when books tackle that unflinchingly, which is what Floodlines does.
This is truly a wonderful book and I’m so grateful to have gotten an ARC for it (thank you Europa Press and Netgalley)! Floodlines releases February 12! 🩷
Displaying 1 of 1 review