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cover art for Timothy Jay Smith - Istanbul Crossing

Inside Writing LGBTQ

Timothy Jay Smith - Istanbul Crossing

In this coming-of-age literary thriller, Ahdaf, a gay Syrian refugee, after watching his cousin executed by ISIS for being homosexual, flees to Istanbul for safety. 

Ahdaf’s reputation as a

people smuggler has put him in danger once more. A Syrian refugee himself,

Ahdaf earns a meager living in Istanbul helping others make the crossing to

Greece – a perilous line of work, but no less so than what he would face if the

truth of his sexuality were discovered by ISIS. 

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