Khalf al-Khuṭūṭ: Arabic 2025

Khalf al-Khuṭūṭ (Behind the Lines) is a gripping Syrian novel by Fawwāz Rizq, published in 2025 by Sameh Publishing. Spanning 308 pages, the book offers a raw and emotionally charged portrayal of life under siege, displacement, and the psychological toll of war. Set in Damascus, Aleppo, and the refugee corridors of Lebanon, the story follows Sārah, a former journalist turned smuggler, whose journey exposes the hidden networks of survival and betrayal behind the frontlines. Key themes include: The fragmentation of identity in times of war The moral ambiguity of resistance and collaboration The intimate cost of survival, especially for women and children A narrative style that blends reportage, stream-of-consciousness, and poetic fragments The novel’s title reflects both literal and metaphorical boundaries—between truth and propaganda, memory and forgetting, and hope and despair. It’s a haunting meditation on what remains when everything else is lost.