The Avenger: Train of Joy

The book’s premise

When justice is delayed, revenge grows in the space it leaves behind.

The novel follows Rani Khalifa, a Saudi-Syrian student whose life changes after he speaks about justice at Damascus University. He is sent to Saydnaya Prison, where he confronts the ritual of humiliation known as the ‘Train of Joy.’

His journey extends from detention across borders and into exile, then to European courtrooms, where the file he carries becomes a means of confronting memory and denial. It is a story about survival, the limits of revenge, and a person’s attempt to recover his name after being reduced to a number.