Frankenstein in Baghdad

Elishva’s portrait of Saint George recurs throughout the novel; she frequently talks to it in order to ask for the safe return of her son, and—at least in her imagination—Saint George talks back to her, often long into the night, typically counseling patience. Elishva views Saint George as her patron saint, although it is never made clear why, aside from the fact that George is canonically a saint associated with the military. At the end of the novel, Elishva cuts his face out of the portrait and takes it with her; the hole where his face used to be disturbs Hadi as he gathers up her things.

Religion plays an interesting role in the novel, especially for Elishva. Nominally Assyrian Christian, Elishva’s true faith is an amalgamation of whatever suits her, and following the return of “Daniel”—the Whatsitsname—she makes the rounds of not only churches but mosques and synagogues, as well. Likewise, the novel is filled with religions icons of all kinds, including more mystical elements, and the neighborhood of Bataween itself is built on Jewish ruins (in fact, Hadi’s house—which in turn has an icon of the Virgin Mary—is known as “The Jewish Ruin”). As a result, spirituality is difficult to pin down, suggesting a more cosmopolitan influence.