''De Niro's Game'' is the

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

by Lebanese-

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

writer Rawi Hage, originally published in 2006. The novel's primary characters are Bassam and George, lifelong friends living in war-torn

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. The novel traces the different paths that the two follow as they face the difficult choice of whether to stay in Beirut and get involved in

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

, or to leave Lebanon and build a new life in another country.

Awards

In addition to the awards listed below, Sophie Voillot's translation of ''De Niro's Game'' was shortlisted for the 2008 Cole Foundation Prize for Translation.

References

2006 Canadian novels Novels by Rawi Hage Novels set in Lebanon 2006 debut novels {{Canada-novel-stub