Dead Man Running

by Anna Halabi

What would you do if someone broke into your home?

Um Hussam literally walks over dead bodies and tries to make the best out of a desperate situation.

Another witty tale by Anna Halabi, author of Syrian Brides, about life in Syria.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

47 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2021

About the author

Anna Halabi was born and raised in Aleppo, Syria. She emigrated to Europe in 1999 for her university studies. She currently lives with her family in Germany.
Syrian Brides is her debut as an author. The stories and characters in this collection were inspired by her personal experiences as well as her relatives, friends and TV shows.

Reviews

[Amanda B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining short story 😊

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story was recommended to me. It cost less than a £1 on Amazon so I was happy to buy it and read it as soon as time allowed.

I loved the pace of the book. Starting at a time of inactivity due to a power cut; we see a family in their lounge by candle light and chewing the end of a torch.
The family dynamics are established and social etiquette follows within that hierarchy. Thereafter, things gather a pace and become quite frenetic almost like a play / similar to farce, with people popping in and out.
It is an interesting account of a poor neighbourhood in Aleppo, Syria. Where our family become the focus of the story and allow us to meet a couple of their neighbours. The story is given an element of danger and immediate threat when a thief breaks in and threatens them.
Although events quickly get out of hand and the burglar becomes a disposable commodity the power never shifts from the matriarch of the small flat.
She has the low down on her neighbours, knowing their darkest secrets, yet she is unable to conceal all the dark happenings overnight in her own home.

This is a universal story; it could have been set within the communities of Manhattan or Golders Green. Soweto or Rio. Yet it is authentically different, drawing on the culture of Syria, it’s people and their faith and, for that, the reader should be grateful as it brings light onto another tradition. But in the end you realise people are perhaps just the same the world over.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another witty tale by Anna Halabi. I like her style and her humor. This story is a bit different than the short stories in her previous books. It's longer and the characters are more fleshed out. And yet again, there was a strong female character in the lead role.

A great quick read!

[Rana Latifa Sabbagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny short read with an expected twist. It shows the dark side buried inside each one of us and rises to the surface when facing a difficult situation.

[Sue Kozlowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this short story as part of my quest to read a book written by an author from every country in the world. The author of this story is from Syria.

This is a quirky, somewhat comedic story of a poor Syrian family who is robbed. In the story, the wife seems to have all of the power in the family - her husband is portrayed as meek and unable to handle pressure or fear. I wonder if the author wrote this to purposely switch the roles of men and women in a Muslim relationship. It is usually the man of the family who is strong and brave and makes the decisions for the household.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Anna Halabi’s style of writing, it is quirky and funny and she manages to capture the idiosyncratic ways of the people of Syria and the Arab people in general. She portrays family life and everyday life so well it’s like she is painting a scene for us, bringing life in Aleppo alive for us. This short story is full of her usual humour whereby the mother of the house is bossy, has a tongue like a whip lash, the husband is practically useless and the poor teenage daughter is caught in between. The neighbours are all into each other’s business and living in such close proximity makes this almost inevitable. This is the story of a man who dared to enter and steal from Um Hussam’s house and the idiotic neighbour who thought he would give warning about the thief. No one is a match for Um Hussam it seems!! My only complaint about this story is that it was too short as I really enjoy experiencing life in Aleppo, it brings back so many fond memories.

[Gisela Hafezparast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really funny little novella, which gives a really insightful look into Syrian life before the current civil war and the destruction of Aleppo. The matriarch of this family is so very much like the Muslim woman I know from my husband's family in Iran. Strong, decisive, and not very often impressed by their menfolk :). Of course, they have to cope with whatever regime they live in and are restricted in many ways, but they know how to help themselves and manipulate the system often much better than men. They suffer misogyny just as Western women do, but as this story tells, not all men in these countries are oppressors, and definitely not all women are meek and powerless. Fun story to read and I will definitely try and read more from this author.

[Linda Morena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, yet suspenseful. A typical story by Anna Halabi. I loved this book, like I enjoyed all of her stories so far!

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very short story from Aleppo about a home invasion that ends with the accidental killing of the intruder by the family in an effort to defend themselves. The story is darkly humorous as the family endeavors to get rid of the body since the police would not have believed that it was self defense (some commentary about life in Syria). Quick enjoyable read.