Flight of Doves

Historical Fiction / Young Adult Fiction

Erzurum, Anatolia, (modern-day Turkey). The year is 1910, five years before the start of the Armenian Genocide of 1.5 million Armenian Christians by the Ottoman government. The amiable Armenian merchant, Parsegh Azarian, tends to his dry goods business and watches over his two growing boys, Aram and Raffi, as they help at the family store for the summer.

A warning from an old friend who works in the Ottoman government alerts him that the region will soon be unsafe for Armenians. As Parsegh and his brother, Haig, discuss what to do about the ominous news, Parsegh begins to receive visits from a Turkish sergeant who has begun to pry not just into the affairs of his business, but now also the plans of his oldest son, Aram, who is soon due to begin military service. If the warning Parsegh received is true, his own son could be forced to do the bidding of the Ottoman Empire. To save his son, he will have to engage in a game of wits with the shrewd sergeant, who is determined to not let a thing get past him.

In the strain of historic forces, what's revealed is the love of a father for his children, and his willingness to do whatever it takes to keep his family safe.