Wesley Hazelberg
When Cathy Sultan writes about the Middle East, the fiction fits the facts. From living through the Lebanese Civil War, to her fifteen years as an engaged peace activist, Sultan has learned the ins and outs of peace and war in the Middle East. Applying these experiences has made Sultan an effective writer about the region and its complexities.
I had the opportunity to interview Sultan in preparation for the launch of her newest book, Omar’s Choice, the fourth and final installment in her series, the Syrian Quartet. Taken from the publisher: “Omar’s Choice draws us into the shadowy role of ISIS in the bloody Syrian conflict. The story, begun in The Syrian, Damascus Street and An Ambassador to Syria, follows Omar, now a member of ISIS and John, a CIA operative, as they unleash a nightmare across Syria.”
In this ancient place of human heritage laid low by war and destruction, Sultan lays bare the consequences and dangers, both present and future, brought on by the West’s forever wars across the Middle East.
“Writing Toward Peace In A Time of War”—Sultan’s book launch and presentation—will be held on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. at the L.E. Philips Memorial Public Library. Omar’s Choice will be read, books will be available for purchase, and refreshments will be served.
Wesley Hazelberg: What do you feel is the most interesting element of your latest book? What do you think readers will be drawn to?
Cathy Sultan: It depends on the reader. As for interesting elements, Omar’s Choice is the most complex of the four books. I spent hundreds of hours researching the origins of ISIS, its links to Western governments and how it has been used across Syria to foment havoc. It is the beginning of the Russian involvement in the Syrian war and the US military’s disastrous bombing campaigns. And in this mix, my characters try to stay alive. Some do, some don’t.
WH: How does it feel like to have written the final novel of a four-part series?
CS: I’m filled with mixed emotions. Clearly, I feel a sense of accomplishment but that said, a bit of nostalgia has already begun to creep in. I’ll miss my characters, even the ones I’ve chosen to kill off in this book. The story began with The Syrian in 2006, and it concludes in 2019. My job as an author has been to create a suspenseful political thriller that has kept my reader on edge and engaged. As a historical fiction writer my challenge has been to incorporate real life, current events that inform my reader, facts they may not have otherwise known, and have them say at the conclusion of the book, “I learned a lot.” I feel like I’ve done that.
WH: Were there any particular real-world moments that inspired Omar’s Choice? If so, could you share a bit more about them?
CS: These four books have been about correcting narratives and lies that the West has perpetuated about Syria’s president, his use of chemical weapons among them. The books have also exposed the CIA’s involvement in the Syria conflict and its use of al Qaeda-linked fighters to accomplish its goals. Because I follow regional events closely I’ve been able to incorporate them into this story. By the end of the book, I believe my reader will be in a better position to question mainstream media’s account of events as they have unfolded and continue to play out across Syria.
WH: You mention on your website that many of the settings in your novels are places you have visited before on your travels, such as a hotel in Damascus in The Syrian and the Shatilla refugee camp in Beirut from Damascus Street. Are there any settings in Omar's Choice that you have similarly visited?
CS: I am quite familiar with the route Nadia and Andrew take as they leave Beirut for northwest Syria. I’ve driven it many times. The little restaurant they stop in on the way to Idlib I also know. As for the other scenes, I’m familiar with the landscape across northeast Syria, having visited the area many years ago, so it was easy enough to create scenes in my head and bring them alive.
WH: The Syrian quartet utilizes fiction to explore real-world stories of international significance. How does fiction provide readers insight into these issues in a way that nonfiction might not?
“The main ingredient in historical fiction is the use of both fact and fiction. ”
CS: The main ingredient in historical fiction is the use of both fact and fiction. If the author creates an engaging storyline that captures the reader’s imagination the reader comes away not only enjoying the story but learning a lot about current events they may have not have otherwise known.
WH: What do people often get wrong about geopolitics in the Middle East that you feel like your work depicts the truth of?
CS: Many people find Middle East politics complicated. Yes, they are. They require a bit of time and attention but given the current risk of a full-blown regional war, it is imperative we become better informed on issues that affect our lives and our future. It is these real-life issues that I address in these four books, but I dress them up in a thriller setting and makes them easy to absorb and retain. William Case, CIA director from 1981-1987 famously said, “We will know that our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” My books dissect fact from fictional nonsense. Knowledge brings power and the power of an informed public, when fully engaged, produces a chain reaction that reaches all the way to the highest levels of power. That’s the power I try to give my reader.
WH: As someone who lived in Lebanon throughout the Lebanese Civil War, you have unique insight into the geopolitics of the Middle East. What do you think the future of the Middle East looks like? And if you'd rather not make predictions, then what do you hope it looks like?
CS: A wise person never predicts what will happen in the Middle East because no one knows. The situation on the ground changes daily and sometimes hourly. I can say with certainty that if the US does not reign in a certain rogue state which it claims as an ally, the Middle East will face a regional war. It is relatively easy to create a pretext for forever wars but if you don’t have a Plan B to stop it when it spirals out of control, you are in real trouble. That’s where we are right now.
WH: What do you hope people will take away from your event on September 26?
CS: An awareness that we face a major crisis in the Middle East. At no time in recent history has our engagement been more urgently needed. It is up to all of us to use our collective voices to limit our leaders’ ability to engage in a conflict that does not threaten our national security or our lives or our livelihood.
Omar’s Choice is available on online and at local retailers.
You can also support Cathy Sultan’s work at her book launch, “Writing Peace in a Time of War” at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library on September 26 at 6PM.
All opinions are the author’s own.