A Stranger in Baghdad

In "The Beautiful Old House on the Banks of the Tigris," Anglo-Iraqi psychiatrist Mona Haddad has a surprise visitor, Duncan Claybourne, who confesses what happened to her family before they escaped Iraq. The story begins in 1937, when Mona's mother, Diane, meets Duncan in Baghdad. Diane is working as a nanny for the Iraqi royal family, and Duncan is a British Embassy officer. When the king dies in a mysterious accident, Ibrahim and his family suspect Diane of colluding with Duncan and the British. Elizabeth Loudon's story explores British attitudes and policies in Iraq and offers a reflection on cross-cultural marriage and the lives of women caught between different worlds.

Format: Hardback
Length: 444 pages
Publication date: 16 May 2023
Publisher: American University in Cairo Press

In a captivating intergenerational drama set against the backdrop of political tension and intrigue, "Who would be charmed by tales of life in the beautiful old house on the banks of the Tigris—looted now, no doubt, its shutters torn, and the courtyard strewn with mattresses?"

One night in 2003, Anglo-Iraqi psychiatrist Mona Haddad receives a surprise visit at her London office from an old acquaintance, Duncan Claybourne. But why has he come? Will his confession finally reveal what happened to her family before they escaped Iraq?

Their stories begin in 1937, when Mona's mother, Diane, a lively Englishwoman newly married to Ibrahim, an ambitious Iraqi doctor, meets Duncan by chance. Diane is working as a nanny for the Iraqi royal family. Duncan is a young British Embassy officer in Baghdad. When the king dies in a mysterious accident, Ibrahim and his family suspect Diane of colluding with Duncan and the British.

Summoning up the vanished world of mid-twentieth-century Baghdad, Elizabeth Loudon's richly evocative story of one family challenges British attitudes and policies in Iraq and offers a penetrating reflection on cross-cultural marriage and the lives of women caught between different worlds.

This captivating tale has been named one of 51 Favorite Books of 2023 by the Washington Independent Review of Books and has been longlisted for the Bridport Novel Award. It is a testament to Loudon's talent as a storyteller and her ability to bring the past to life in a way that is both captivating and thought-provoking.

ISBN-13: 9781649032867