---
product_id: 111868283
title: "Frankenstein in Baghdad: A Novel"
price: "¥492"
currency: JPY
in_stock: false
reviews_count: 10
url: https://www.desertcart.jp/products/111868283-frankenstein-in-baghdad-a-novel
store_origin: JP
region: Japan
---

# Frankenstein in Baghdad: A Novel

**Price:** ¥492
**Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock

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- **What is this?** Frankenstein in Baghdad: A Novel
- **How much does it cost?** ¥492 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Currently out of stock
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.jp](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/111868283-frankenstein-in-baghdad-a-novel)

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## Description

Frankenstein in Baghdad: A Novel - Kindle edition by Saadawi, Ahmed. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Frankenstein in Baghdad: A Novel.

Review: Translation was good - Great book , nicely written
Review: A Fantastical and Tragic Must Read - I will start off with the “cons” of this book, because the “pros” are immense. My biggest complaint, if I had to complain, is some ‘confused telling’ aspects as well as overly long sections that (seemingly) serve a lesser purpose and bog down the plotting. The author skips around in time and between characters in a confusing way at times, which is distracting, causing me to have to re-orient myself in the story. However, I soon realized that the madness of the situation(s) was often being expressed in the confusing style. Now the pros: I felt like I was reading an old Arthurian tale, fantastic and highly symbolic, with a touch of “Catch 22” meets a macabre Python movie. The themes and symbolism are everywhere: **Dismemberment** (from the truth, reality, justice, home, family, self) - Everything is broken and displaced… buildings, families, order… and, as I said, even the story itself feels disjointed at times. **The Golem** of justice, protector and killer of his people because the world’s gone mad **St George the Martyr** who is famous for slaying a dragon that demanded human sacrifices (like our pieced together Golem)… and, hello, **George Bush** and St George is associated with England and Christianity which brings more thematic ideas of a Christ figure in our Golem. and we have Hadi, the liar and junk dealer (whose name is one of 99 names of god in Islam, meaning ‘The Guider’), trying to do something noble… like bringing his people together (in pieces and in whole) which the Whatsitsname/Golem tells us about all the time but especially on page 146 when he says, “ ‘The young madman thinks I am the model citizen that the Iraqi state has failed to produce, at least since the days of King Faisal I. ‘Because I am made up of body parts of people from diverse backgrounds - ethnicities, tribes, races, and social classes - I represent the impossible mix that never was achieved in the past. I am the first true Iraqi citizen,…’” Our Golem also says that he is “… the only justice there is in this country.”. Another character, Mahmoud (whose name has the coveted H-M-D letters that denote “praise” and being “praiseworthy”) says, “ it’s hard to convince anyone of this nonsense, but organized nonsense of this kind stands behind all the crimes committed,…” It’s a very deep, compelling, intricate, allegorical, fantastic telling of the ever branching, expanding horrors of brokenness and displacement that were inflicted upon Iraq and its people. So, while this is not my typical, favored, immersive reading experience, it was fascinating. I did stumble a bit with the cons mentioned above, but what really slowed my reading was eager note taking and lots and lots of googling. Which makes this book one of my second favorite type of reading experiences: one of L E A R N I N G. I feel I was given a very personal, inside glimpse of an unknown world. And I did ~feel~ and do better understand the true tragedy that our country, America, both exacerbated and set in motion there.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN  | B01HCGYY7E |
| Accessibility  | Learn more |
| Best Sellers Rank | #105,207 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #17 in Middle Eastern Literature (Books) #532 in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction #540 in War Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars (1,122) |
| Edition  | Translation |
| Enhanced typesetting  | Enabled |
| File size  | 2.2 MB |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0143128809 |
| Language  | English |
| Page Flip  | Enabled |
| Print length  | 287 pages |
| Publication date  | January 23, 2018 |
| Publisher  | Penguin Books |
| Screen Reader  | Supported |
| Word Wise  | Enabled |
| X-Ray  | Not Enabled |

## Images

![Frankenstein in Baghdad: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A10+Lv5SzTL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Translation was good
*by O***Z on December 20, 2025*

Great book , nicely written

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Fantastical and Tragic Must Read
*by V***S on January 12, 2022*

I will start off with the “cons” of this book, because the “pros” are immense. My biggest complaint, if I had to complain, is some ‘confused telling’ aspects as well as overly long sections that (seemingly) serve a lesser purpose and bog down the plotting. The author skips around in time and between characters in a confusing way at times, which is distracting, causing me to have to re-orient myself in the story. However, I soon realized that the madness of the situation(s) was often being expressed in the confusing style. Now the pros: I felt like I was reading an old Arthurian tale, fantastic and highly symbolic, with a touch of “Catch 22” meets a macabre Python movie. The themes and symbolism are everywhere: **Dismemberment** (from the truth, reality, justice, home, family, self) - Everything is broken and displaced… buildings, families, order… and, as I said, even the story itself feels disjointed at times. **The Golem** of justice, protector and killer of his people because the world’s gone mad **St George the Martyr** who is famous for slaying a dragon that demanded human sacrifices (like our pieced together Golem)… and, hello, **George Bush** and St George is associated with England and Christianity which brings more thematic ideas of a Christ figure in our Golem. and we have Hadi, the liar and junk dealer (whose name is one of 99 names of god in Islam, meaning ‘The Guider’), trying to do something noble… like bringing his people together (in pieces and in whole) which the Whatsitsname/Golem tells us about all the time but especially on page 146 when he says, “ ‘The young madman thinks I am the model citizen that the Iraqi state has failed to produce, at least since the days of King Faisal I. ‘Because I am made up of body parts of people from diverse backgrounds - ethnicities, tribes, races, and social classes - I represent the impossible mix that never was achieved in the past. I am the first true Iraqi citizen,…’” Our Golem also says that he is “… the only justice there is in this country.”. Another character, Mahmoud (whose name has the coveted H-M-D letters that denote “praise” and being “praiseworthy”) says, “ it’s hard to convince anyone of this nonsense, but organized nonsense of this kind stands behind all the crimes committed,…” It’s a very deep, compelling, intricate, allegorical, fantastic telling of the ever branching, expanding horrors of brokenness and displacement that were inflicted upon Iraq and its people. So, while this is not my typical, favored, immersive reading experience, it was fascinating. I did stumble a bit with the cons mentioned above, but what really slowed my reading was eager note taking and lots and lots of googling. Which makes this book one of my second favorite type of reading experiences: one of L E A R N I N G. I feel I was given a very personal, inside glimpse of an unknown world. And I did ~feel~ and do better understand the true tragedy that our country, America, both exacerbated and set in motion there.

### ⭐⭐⭐ Great concept, poor execution
*by P***P on February 13, 2018*

For a good time start on page 143. That's when the story actually starts. What comes before is a languid, meandering prologue that will make your eyes roll back in your head. The story comes together when Frankenstein's narrative starts. Up to that point, it's just a mess of what feel like random characters, some of whom are relevant at the end of the story, some of whom are not. There are craft issues with head hopping and weird, confusing scene transitions that don't clear up until right around page 143. It's like the first half or so is a first draft and the last half or so is a tightly plotted spec fic thriller. The book has two personalities that way. I like the idea suggested in another review that the story is meant to mirror Frankenstein's haphazard construction...but that's a really romanticized way to look at bad story structure. Anyway, the main thrust of the story is to question who is innocent and who is guilty through the lens of a Frankenstein. Who really is responsible for violence? Does anyone have clean hands? At the end there's an interesting conceptual switcheroo of who's good and who's evil. I'm glad I read the book,it has interesting ideas, but it was a long, punishing slog. Still, the story is an important piece of speculative fiction, although it might be better to wait for the movie...which I hope there will be one. A film would allow for the opportunity to correct issues with story pacing and clarity and let it shine the way it should because it really is a gem.

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*Product available on Desertcart Japan*
*Store origin: JP*
*Last updated: 2026-05-06*