Short Synopsis
An exceptional debut novel about a young Muslim war orphan whose family is killed in a military operation gone wrong, and the American soldier to whom his fate, and survival, is bound.

Full Synopsis
Jonas is fifteen when his family is killed during an errant U.S. military operation in an unnamed Muslim country. With the help of an international relief organization, he is sent to America, where he struggles to assimilate—foster family, school, a first love. Eventually, he tells a court-mandated counselor and therapist about a U.S. soldier, Christopher Henderson, responsible for saving his life on the tragic night in question.

Christopher's mother, Rose, has dedicated her life to finding out what really happened to her son, who disappeared after the raid in which Jonas's village was destroyed. When Jonas meets Rose, a shocking and painful secret gradually surfaces from the past, and builds to a shattering conclusion that haunts long after the final sentence. Told in spare, evocative prose, The Book of Jonas is about memory, about the terrible choices made during war, and about what happens when foreign disaster appears at our own doorstep. It is a rare and virtuosic novel from an exciting new writer to watch.

"Narrator Simon Vance brings the brittle and tremulous text into a heartbreaking, blooming presence." ---Library Journal Starred Audio Review

"With its spare prose and nuanced plot that loops back and forth chronologically, Dau's first novel is an absolutely compelling account of the damage done to all sides by armed conflict. An essential addition to the literature of war." ---Booklist Starred Review

"Vance masterfully reads this compelling debut novel, a tale of war, loss, and redemption. . . . As the story shifts points of view and moves
back and forth in time, Vance keeps it all in check in a riveting performance." ---Booklist Starred Audio Review

"A sobering and accomplished read meant to prick the conscience; highly recommended." ---Library Journal

"Intriguing characters reveal the effects of war on both victim and victimizer, and raise important questions about the emotional implications of modern warfare." ---Publishers Weekly

"Dau's novel offers deeply resonating truths about war and culture, about family and loss that only art can reveal. A literary tour de force." ---Kirkus Starred Review

"Narrator Simon Vance infuses urgency into the sparse prose and gripping events . . . . He delivers the narration at a rapid pace that mimics the turbulent thoughts of the main character as well as the unfolding of elements of the plot." ---AudioFile

Kirkus Bestseller

Booklist Bestseller

Library Journal Audio

Booklist Review

Booklist Audio

Kirkus Review