Struck by her wisdom and intelligence, the king carries on long conversations with her -- about God, politics, love, family, loyalty, betrayal and the will of the people. Along the way, he reveals his insecurities.

He considers creating a party to support him, for example, but is afraid of fomenting rivalry between the party and senior political officials and military officers. He wonders whether the people will honor or desecrate his corpse after he dies. And he asks Zabibah, ''Do the people need strict measures'' from their leader? ''Yes, your Majesty,'' Zabibah replies. ''The people need strict measures so that they can feel protected by this strictness.''

One American official said: ''The book is a kind of dirge. The king is talking about his death. Every time I read the book I feel for the king. This is what Saddam wants the people to do -- to feel for him.''

The relationship, except for occasional embraces and kisses, remains chaste and eventually destroys Zabibah's marriage to a cruel man she never loved. ''I love you, I don't love my husband,'' Zabibah confesses to the king. ''I'm married in name only.''

It is impossible to measure the popularity of the novel, which was published by a printing house that is most likely owned by the Iraqi government. The article in Al-Quds al-Arabi said that the novel ''appeared in all Iraqi libraries'' and ''is currently the topic of discussion among intellectuals and the public.'' And Al-Sharq al-Awsat declared that ''the Iraqi press devoted much attention to this novel, regarding it as 'innovation in the history of novels.' '' United States officials could not confirm either claim.

The book sells for 1,500 dinars -- about $1 -- and its back cover states that all profits will go to the poor, the orphaned and the oppressed. But at a time when the vast majority of Iraqis are reeling from crippling international sanctions, it is questionable whether they are spending money on novels.

The book's most powerful section focuses on the rape of Zabibah, an obvious reference to the United States invasion of Iraq at the end of the Persian Gulf war. One night, while returning to her cottage from the king's palace, Zabibah is gagged and dragged into a forest where she is raped by a man who conceals his identity. He turns out to be her estranged husband.