Further Than Rainbow

In the heart of a Baghdad that only sleeps to the sound of explosions, where ancient streets have turned into stages for shadows and militias, Rasool Darweesh weaves a narrative that transcends the boundaries of geography and the human body. "Further Than Rainbow" is not just a chronicle of a city's fall; it is a profound exploration of identity in a land that rejects "difference."

The journey begins with Sarmad, a young man trapped in the Green Zone-not as an outsider, but as a soul trying to decode its own existence. Between the walls of "The Crypt of Nun" and the darkness of "The Violet Corner," we dive into a secret world teeming with life and fear. Here, those who chose to belong to the "Rainbow Group" hide, trying to survive the lashes of society, the oppression of the occupier, and the fires of sectarianism.

But the tragedy burns deeper when Sarmad disappears, leaving his friend Mayar in a whirlpool of guilt and a relentless search where faces change and identities are masked. From the alleys of Kadhimiya and Mandaean baptism rituals to the vibrant chaos of Bangkok and the shores of Boracay, the novel asks: Can love truly bloom under the weight of ash? As characters grapple with the desire for genetic transformation versus the primal longing for fatherhood, Darweesh forces us to look into the mirror of the soul. You will discover that the colors of the rainbow are sometimes the only way to cross over the hell of reality.