Strength in Petticoats

Safe Corridor by Jan Dost, translated by Marilyn Booth—translator of the 2019 International Booker Prize-winning Celestial Bodies—is a darkly humorous and powerful novel that captures war through Kamiran, a 13-year-old Kurdish boy. Fleeing Afrin with his family, Kamiran undergoes a surreal transformation—his body turning to chalk, a haunting symbol of identity erased by conflict. Blending sharp wit with deep sorrow, the novel explores trauma, displacement, and resilience.