How would you react if you one day discovered a heavy men's bag in a dark corner of your car, suspected of being rigged with explosives? After an expert examination, it turns out to be free of any weapons. However, it contains the secret of a well-known, distinguished man, along with women's underwear that raises questions and stirs anxiety for the car's owner.

The events of this story are not a work of fiction but are drawn from the heart of social reality in Lebanon at the dawn of the Lebanese Civil War. The author has made slight modifications to some facts and to the names and features of the characters, out of respect for the privacy of their real-life counterparts. In doing so, she is like a perfumer who tries to mislead ants by placing labels on sugar jars that read 'pepper'! But the discerning reader does not dwell on names and details; with a keen sense, they know how to find the perfumer's sugar and penetrate the essence of the literary work, its deep meanings, and its profound implications.

About the Author: Azza Agha Malak is a Francophone novelist and poet, a former university professor in stylistics and linguistics, and has been awarded the rank of Knight (Chevalier) in the Order of Arts and Letters by the French state.

• Publishing House: Dar Al-Farabi for Publishing and Distribution
• Number of Pages: 368
• Year of Publication: 2009
• ISBN: 9789953714561