Abirogon: Longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize

An extraordinary novel in every sense. Colum McCann has found the form and voice to tell the most complex of stories, with an unlikely friendship between two men at its beating heart. (Kamila Shamsie, author of *Home Fire*) Shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, longlisted for the Booker Prize, winner of the National Jewish Book Award, and named a Best of the Year by The Independent and The New York Public Library Review. From the National Book Award-winning and bestselling author of *Let the Great Great World Spin* comes an epic novel inspired by an unlikely true friendship between two parents. Bassam Aramin is Palestinian, and Rami Elhanan is Israeli. They live in a world of conflict that colors every aspect of their daily lives, from the roads they are allowed to drive on, to the schools their children attend, to the checkpoints, both physical and psychological, they must pass. But their lives, however limited, are turned upside down: First, Rami's thirteen-year-old daughter, Smadar, becomes the victim of suicide bombers; a decade later, Bassam's ten-year-old daughter, Abeer, is killed by a rubber bullet. Rami and Bassam grew up hating each other. However, as they learn about each other's stories, they recognize the loss that binds them. Together, they try to use their grief as a weapon of peace, and with one small act, they begin to break through what for generations has seemed an insurmountable conflict. This extraordinary novel is the fruit of a seed sown when novelist Colum McCann met the real Bassam and Rami on a trip with the nonprofit organization Sard 4. McCann was moved by their willingness to share their stories with the world, and by their hope that by seeing themselves in each other, others might see themselves too. With their blessings and unprecedented access to their families, their lives, and their personal memories, McCann began crafting "Apirogon," which uses their true stories to begin another—one that transcends centuries and continents, weaving together time, art, history, nature, and politics in a heartbreaking and hopeful tale. The result is an ambitious novel, inspired by a world of fictional and real material, with the heartbreaking story of these two fathers at its heart.