In this first novel in English about Kurds, the prominent literary critic Tom LeClair has written a John LeCarre story of personal and international betrayal--and a contemporary version of Henry James’s Portrait of a Lady.

“In the fierce unfinished business of Kurdistan, Tom LeClair has found the documentary edge and human center that make Well-Founded Fear a resourceful and moving work of fiction.”

Don DeLillo, author of Underworld

“Well-Founded Fear is a workmanlike novel that introduces the uniformed to the plight of the Kurds.”

Andrew Santella, New York Times Book Review

“. . . . the story is compelling , as much psychodrama as thriller.”

Publishers Weekly

“. . . [A] heartfelt plea for deeper insight into the Kurdish tragedy.”

Kirkus Reviews

“This is more than an engrossing thriller and global adventure. It’s about why people run, why tens of millions inhabit the often dangerous, often thrilling and often breathtaking world of the refugee. The end of the Cold War has not only redrawn the map of the world, it has uprooted multitudes who are seeking better lives in places where they aren’t wanted. Tom LeClair has opened a window on this world so we can see into the souls of people we would be wise not to ignore.”

Mark Fritz, author of Lost on Earth: Nomads of the New World

“Chilling and authentic. A novel about political asylum, about a forgotten people, and about the trust between individuals that is the most fragile sanctuary of all.”

Joseph McElroy, author of Women and Men

“Lovers of language will be thrilled and occasionally awed by how the bounds of language are extended here.”  

Andrew Hurt, Impact Weekly

“By turns polemical, personal and provocative, it is an altogether important work, one that throws light on the plight of the Kurds, a tragic people whose fate is entwined with our, whether we like it or not.”

William Manus, The Greek American

“This is a novel filled with information and observations about so many things: Turkish terrorism, Greek language and Kurdish culture, American private detectives, acrophobia. Most significantly, it compels Americans to look beyond themselves and imagine what it’s like to be without land or home and experience constant fear.”

James Schiff, Bookmagazine

“Tom LeClair insightfully brings our attention to the most neglected people on earth, the Kurds, and while he entertains us with a fast-paced drama he deepens our ability for compassion with his authentic understanding of suffering.”

Josip Novakovich, author of Apricots for Chernobyl