The Bleeds

An election sets the stage for Oedipal rivalry and civil revolt.



For three generations, the Bleeds have ruled over their country. Once hailed as the founders of an independence movement, they have long since cemented into autocrats supported by the colonial keepers that manage the region’s uranium trade. Fifty years on, their family dysfunction is tearing apart the fabric of the nation. Mustafa Bleed transferred power to his son Vadim five years ago, but never let go of the reins. Vadim is better known for luxurious partying in the nightclubs of the world than anything he's accomplished for his country as president. Now an election has set the stage for an orchestrated revolt. As opposition leaders, journalists, bloggers, foreign diplomats, and prospective uranium customers all jockey for a better future, a father and son grapple with bonds of love, loyalty, betrayal, and paranoia.



From the author of the widely acclaimed Niko comes an intimate novel about the levers of power and privilege that shape the lives of the people most affected by war and insurrection. The Bleeds is Nasrallah’s most boldly political statement to date.