When a Camel Breaks Your Heart

In this haunting and fabulist tale, a young woman’s would-be fiancé, Mahir, transforms—quite literally—into a camel.

Mahir—once the object of her affection and muse for her art—now embodies the vast differences between their respective backgrounds as a white American woman and a first-generation American Muslim. She attempts to uncover the mystery of his transformation, sorting through their past, trying to understand the present, and coming to terms with the future—all while dealing with the practical needs of the large exotic animal nesting in her living room.

Set against the backdrop of the American invasion of Iraq, the story weaves together the magical and the mundane, with a dose of wry humor and the absurd, building toward a surprising ending.