A Woman in the Crossfire by Samar Yazbek – review

One woman's account of Syria's tyrannical regime The Syrian novelist Samar Yazbek recognises government thugs as soon as they get out of their car: "Puffed-up muscles, tattoos, broad chests, an arrogant gaze, death." She has the novelist's eye for telling detail. Born in 1970 into an affluent and influential family, she comes from the same Alawi clan as the dictator, Bashar al-Assad. Her family