Yasmina Khadra's The Attack mainly details the strange behavior and workings of a suicide bomber. Khadra picks a rather unique character to be the narrator, Dr. Amin Jaafari, an Arab who lives in Israel as a citizen and works in a Tel Aviv hospital. His story is similar to the success stories of many: he came from a humble and poor family, worked hard and finished at the top of his class, eventually becoming a respected surgeon.
One of the first events Jaafari describes in detail is the terrorist attack of a restaurant. Because he is a doctor, he is required to stay at the hospital for much longer hours, and sees all the wounds the victims sustained. Even worse, one of the victims is his own wife, Sihem, but the police explain to Jaafari that his wife was the suicide bomber who had initiated the attack in the first place. Although nobody understands why Sihem would sacrifice herself, suspicion soon finds its way to Jaafari, being her husband.
Jaafari is shocked by his ignorance to his wife's deep support to her cause- a support that goes so far that she would willingly sacrifice her life for it. Jaafari is deeply affected, because he hadn't understood the one person that he had lived with and was closest to.
Jaafari goes on a quest to find out the cause of his wife's sacrifice, but ends up beaten and bruised for the most part. However, this novel goes lengths to allow the reader a glimpse into the inner thoughts and experiences of a character that had been on the front lines of a suicidal bombing incident.
