Correspondents Summary
Tim Murphy

Correspondents Overview

Correspondents is Tim Murphy's multi-generational novel of immigration and the consequences of American violence overseas and at home. The third-person story begins in 1912 as members of the Khoury family leave Lebanon to emigrate to the United States. The novel shows how this legacy informs decisions of Rita Khoury, half Irish and half Lebanese, who returns to the Middle East to cover the war in Iraq as a foreign correspondent. Rita develops a close relationship with her translator, Nabil, who his hiding a secret about his sexuality and eventually becomes one of the droves of Iraqis fleeing his country. The story deals with themes of immigration, American involvement in Iraq, homosexuality, and domestic terrorism.