Before We Say Goodbye

Before We Say Goodbye

Author	Gabriella Ambrosio
Original title	Prima di Lasciarsi
Language	English
Publisher	Nutrimenti, Walker Books
Publication date	2004
Published in English	2010
Media type	Print
Pages	160 pages
ISBN	140632504X

Before We Say Goodbye, first published as Prima di Lasciarsi, is a 2004 novel by Gabriella Ambrosio. The work is based on the 2002 Kiryat HaYovel supermarket bombing and narrates the final hours in the lives of the suicide bomber and her victims. It was first published in 2004 through Nutrimenti and was later published in English on 2 August 2010 through Walker Books. The novel has been published in multiple languages, including Arabic and Hebrew.

Synopsis

The book follows Ayat al-Akhras, a seventeen-year-old female suicide bomber that has been sent to a supermarket in Kiryat HaYovel on the even of Passover to kill as many people as possible. It also follows Haim Smadar, a security guard that notices her actions and tries to stop her, losing his life in the process but saving the lives of multiple people. The story begins at seven o'clock in the morning on the day of the attack and ends with the explosion. Despite the very short time span – seven hours – seen from the points of view of the different characters, the book tries to portray the complex reality between Israel and Palestine.