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Burden of the Desert
Zoe Temple, a young journalist who dreams of being a war correspondent…Lieutenant Rick Benes, an American officer trying to get his platoon home alive…Adel, an Iraqi who wants revenge for the death of his father…Mahmoud, an Iraqi driver in a secret love affair with a Christian woman…Nouri, an innocent man tortured in Abu Ghraib… In occupied Baghdad, their lives will come together—in a world of violence and mistrust, where every decision can be fatal, and love is found in unexpected quarters. And when a shocking incident at an American checkpoint leaves three people dead, it sets in train a series of events that will have far-reaching consequences for them all. Burden of the Desert is fast-paced and gripping, and asks questions that will linger long after the last page is turned. Justin Huggler was a war correspondent in Iraq for the Independent newspaper, and in his first novel he memorably evokes the atmosphere of a military occupation whose aftershocks are still being felt today.
- GenresWarHistoricalFiction
618 pages, Paperback
First published December 3, 2012
2 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Justin Huggler
2 books17 followersJustin Huggler was born in the Channel Island of Jersey, Great Britain. After graduating from Oxford University, he became a foreign correspondent for The Independent newspaper, and was based in Istanbul, Prague, Jerusalem and Delhi.
He covered the occupation of Iraq from 2003 to 2004, working outside the protection of the Green Zone and military embeds, and reported on the torture of prisoners in Abu Ghraib, the 2004 Ashoura massacre in Karbala, the bombing of the UN building, and the hostage-taking crisis.
During the 2001 war in Afghanistan, he travelled with the Northern Alliance and covered the fall of Kunduz and Kandahar, and the prisoner revolt at Qala-i Jangi.
He has also covered the second Palestinian Intifada, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia, the Nepalese revolution, and the conflicts in Kashmir, Sri Lanka and Macedonia.
He lived in India for eight years, and now lives in London.
He covered the occupation of Iraq from 2003 to 2004, working outside the protection of the Green Zone and military embeds, and reported on the torture of prisoners in Abu Ghraib, the 2004 Ashoura massacre in Karbala, the bombing of the UN building, and the hostage-taking crisis.
During the 2001 war in Afghanistan, he travelled with the Northern Alliance and covered the fall of Kunduz and Kandahar, and the prisoner revolt at Qala-i Jangi.
He has also covered the second Palestinian Intifada, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia, the Nepalese revolution, and the conflicts in Kashmir, Sri Lanka and Macedonia.
He lived in India for eight years, and now lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 25, 2013
Originally reviewed for Nudgemenow.com:
Written by a correspondent of the Iraq war, Burden of the Desert is overflowing with detail which makes the novel wholly believable and that much more thrilling.
Rookie journalist Zoe Temple is determined to become a war correspondent, and when her paper offers her the chance of a brief posting in Baghdad she jumps at the chance. It’s 2003 and the Iraq war has officially been declared over by the American’s, so she is hopeful it will be a gentle introduction to the dangerous life of a correspondent...However, emotions are still running high in Baghdad, with the Iraqi’s feeling very distrustful of the American soldiers and with a small faction of American soldiers behaving monstrously.
Alongside Zoe’s experience are intertwined the stories of Lieutenant Rick Benes and Adel, Mahmoud and Nouri; three Iraqi’s with very different opinions of the occupation.
The character I enjoyed reading the most in this novel was Lieutenant Benes. Benes is brave, kind and above all very human. Unlike the small group of cruel soldiers that appear in the novel, Benes feels great guilt for some of his actions in Baghdad. He’s honest with himself, and it’s refreshing to read an account of a soldier who admits to himself that the thoughts he has about the occupation are not always pretty and in the best interest of the Iraq people. What makes Bene’s a wonderful, brave character is the actions he takes in spite of his inner feelings sometimes.
Adel’s plotline, an Iraqi seeking revenge for his father’s death by any means, is written very sensitively. There is a tendency for Westerner’s to write about Iraqi soldiers fighting against us very negatively, and often with a great deal of bias and sometimes spite. It’s a tricky subject to approach fairly and without upsetting anybody. I believe this is where Huggler’s experience as a correspondent launches the book from “good” to “absolutely phenomenal”. Adel’s journey to revenge is portrayed with great care- at no point does the reader feel his actions are being excused, but at the same time, he remains a very human character and the plotline acts as a real eye-opener as to why some Iraqi’s feel so strongly against the Westerners who “saved” them from oppression only to provide them with a new kind of regime.
At 612 pages long, Burden of the Desert does not appear to be a quick read at first glance. On picking it up I was prepared for a very heavy-going read. However, as soon as I read the first page my opinion changed. I was gripped and looked for any excuse to pick up the book and continue reading. Transfixing, thrilling, tragic, and occasionally light-hearted, Huggler’s first novel is a masterpiece.
Written by a correspondent of the Iraq war, Burden of the Desert is overflowing with detail which makes the novel wholly believable and that much more thrilling.
Rookie journalist Zoe Temple is determined to become a war correspondent, and when her paper offers her the chance of a brief posting in Baghdad she jumps at the chance. It’s 2003 and the Iraq war has officially been declared over by the American’s, so she is hopeful it will be a gentle introduction to the dangerous life of a correspondent...However, emotions are still running high in Baghdad, with the Iraqi’s feeling very distrustful of the American soldiers and with a small faction of American soldiers behaving monstrously.
Alongside Zoe’s experience are intertwined the stories of Lieutenant Rick Benes and Adel, Mahmoud and Nouri; three Iraqi’s with very different opinions of the occupation.
The character I enjoyed reading the most in this novel was Lieutenant Benes. Benes is brave, kind and above all very human. Unlike the small group of cruel soldiers that appear in the novel, Benes feels great guilt for some of his actions in Baghdad. He’s honest with himself, and it’s refreshing to read an account of a soldier who admits to himself that the thoughts he has about the occupation are not always pretty and in the best interest of the Iraq people. What makes Bene’s a wonderful, brave character is the actions he takes in spite of his inner feelings sometimes.
Adel’s plotline, an Iraqi seeking revenge for his father’s death by any means, is written very sensitively. There is a tendency for Westerner’s to write about Iraqi soldiers fighting against us very negatively, and often with a great deal of bias and sometimes spite. It’s a tricky subject to approach fairly and without upsetting anybody. I believe this is where Huggler’s experience as a correspondent launches the book from “good” to “absolutely phenomenal”. Adel’s journey to revenge is portrayed with great care- at no point does the reader feel his actions are being excused, but at the same time, he remains a very human character and the plotline acts as a real eye-opener as to why some Iraqi’s feel so strongly against the Westerners who “saved” them from oppression only to provide them with a new kind of regime.
At 612 pages long, Burden of the Desert does not appear to be a quick read at first glance. On picking it up I was prepared for a very heavy-going read. However, as soon as I read the first page my opinion changed. I was gripped and looked for any excuse to pick up the book and continue reading. Transfixing, thrilling, tragic, and occasionally light-hearted, Huggler’s first novel is a masterpiece.
January 1, 2023
Gut-wrenching insights into all sides of the struggle in Iraq.
February 28, 2013
The writing in this novel moved the story along sucking me in and not letting up until the end. Mr. Huggler’s experience as a reporter of the war in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 shows in the details of the scenes, politics, and motivation characters.
Although this story takes place after the U.S. President declared major combat operations over, there’s plenty of conflict all through this story following several characters. You read and feel the guilt, fear, and worry a U.S. Lieutenant, Benes, carries for a mistake his unit made in the opening chapter. Written is such a way, each time I was in this characters point of view, I hoped nothing would happen to him or his men.
A female British reporter, Zoe, is a central figure in the story. A novice at war reporting in the beginning, she quickly becomes a season one. It is through Zoe’s eyes we learn about the numerous difficulties the Iraq people suffered after Sadam Hussein was removed from power, and how difficult it was to report this war, especially a female journalist. Her driver and translator, Mahmoud and Ali, become central characters whose lives away from Zoe add to the depth of the lives this novel explores.
Through two Iraqs, Adel and Nouri, we learn the motivation of why so many would take up arms against those that freed them from their dictator, and the complicated life the Iraq people lived.
This is a story about war. Although Mr. Huggler does an admiral job of describing some scenes with restraint, squeamish readers may have a hard time with them.
The writing and story reminded of another masterfully written novel about war, Herman Wouk’s The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance. I look forward to Mr. Huggler’s next novel.
Although this story takes place after the U.S. President declared major combat operations over, there’s plenty of conflict all through this story following several characters. You read and feel the guilt, fear, and worry a U.S. Lieutenant, Benes, carries for a mistake his unit made in the opening chapter. Written is such a way, each time I was in this characters point of view, I hoped nothing would happen to him or his men.
A female British reporter, Zoe, is a central figure in the story. A novice at war reporting in the beginning, she quickly becomes a season one. It is through Zoe’s eyes we learn about the numerous difficulties the Iraq people suffered after Sadam Hussein was removed from power, and how difficult it was to report this war, especially a female journalist. Her driver and translator, Mahmoud and Ali, become central characters whose lives away from Zoe add to the depth of the lives this novel explores.
Through two Iraqs, Adel and Nouri, we learn the motivation of why so many would take up arms against those that freed them from their dictator, and the complicated life the Iraq people lived.
This is a story about war. Although Mr. Huggler does an admiral job of describing some scenes with restraint, squeamish readers may have a hard time with them.
The writing and story reminded of another masterfully written novel about war, Herman Wouk’s The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance. I look forward to Mr. Huggler’s next novel.
October 6, 2014
Written by a war correspondant this book feels very real indeed. The multiple POV coupled with the unflinching look at the reasonings and failings on all sides of the 2003 Iraq conflict, as well as the impression that nothing is likely to be resolved in the region quickly or cleanly, make this read as a literary version of films such as Syriana or The Kingdom. Many of the messages here feel especially resonant right now with the current situation becomong increasingly desperate again. Much as I hate to keep bringing this back to various films, the book has enough strong visual elements to make comparrisons seem fair. The focus on journalism in times of war reminded me of many of the scenes from films about the Yugoslav conflicts, with the hotel seeming to be plucked almost directly from films such as Welcome to Sarajevo or The Hunting Party, as the author is evidently drawing strongly on his actual experiences in Baghdad, it merely goes to illustrate how little changes from conflict to conflict. This is a book to read right now.
December 26, 2016
this book was exceptionally descriptive and detailed , you could almost believe that you were there yourself, amid all the conflict, the story, the setting, and hearing everything that was going on around you. The book also explained very well all sides to the situation in Iraq, not just the side of the American forces or the British journalists, but the perspective of the Iraqi people too, and how they saw their country being torn apart, and how they saw the Americans as not their saviours but as another enemy . it certainly made me think about it all, and the book held my attention right to the end, which in way wasn't an end, just the end of one story
January 28, 2013
The most exciting book I've read in a long time. Based on the conflict in Iraq it takes in the epic sweep of the war,memorably evoking the atmosphere of the country, its people, and the principal participants from overseas. Lives entwined, soldiers, journalists, translators, hospital staff.
Above all it is a thrilling read. But more than this it brings out the moral dilemmas facing its principal characters and the sometimes astonishing results flowing from them: self-sacrifice and true heroism.
Make a great film!
Above all it is a thrilling read. But more than this it brings out the moral dilemmas facing its principal characters and the sometimes astonishing results flowing from them: self-sacrifice and true heroism.
Make a great film!
March 30, 2014
The Burden of the Desert, is a fast-paced, intricate and thrilling novel. Justin Huggler draws much upon his experience as a war-zone journalist in writing this realistic and believable novel of insurgency in war-torn Iraq. There are human stories too, the experiences of prisoners in Abu Ghraib, the poor state of the hospitals under American occupation, kidnappings of journalists - all based on actual events and woven together expertly within the narrative. The best novel of the Iraq war to date.
October 17, 2015
Excellent writing. Interesting story and characters.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews