Contrary to the title of this short story collection, "An Unclear Destination," the artistic and intellectual direction of Munther Al-Sulaiman's stories is quite clear. The narrative texts here draw their material from a reality undergoing turmoil and flux, beset by nightmares on one side and aspirations for freedom on the other. The voices within the stories shift between a third-person perspective and a first-person narrator who intervenes to illuminate the hardships and endurance faced by the characters in their daily struggle for survival against a formidable killing machine.

Although the stories touch upon an explosive and bloody political situation, they avoid direct politicization and present themselves as a delicate artistic document chronicling the daily struggles and the simple people's determination to cling to life and their legitimate dreams. For this reason, some stories use dreams as an internal mirror to reality, while others blend sensory events with imagined ones that escalate the daily horror—as if the sky were raining explosive barrels on homes, or a rescuer finding a dying woman under the rubble next to a pack of cigarettes he needs. It is as if life continues on a train of the dead, where the departed reveal the deep-seated desires that life denied them.

Despite the bitterness that permeates the stories' atmosphere, flashes of small joys, delightful snapshots, and cheerful reflections shine through, reflecting the lively spirit of its characters and author.

• Author: Munther Al-Sulaiman
• Publisher: Fadaat Publishing
• Year of Publication: 2018
• Number of Pages: 128