4 Stars
This is a mystery set in contemporary Saudi Arabia. Nayir
ash-Sharqi, a desert guide, is asked by his friend, Othman Shrawi, to find his
sixteen-year-old sister, Nouf. After her body is discovered, Nayir sets out to
find out how she died; he is assisted in his investigation by Katya Hijazi, a
forensic technician who also happens to be Othman’s fiancée.
The mystery is satisfactory, although the identity of one
person guilty of a crime is very obvious early on because the implication of
this person solves a relationship problem for Nayir and Katya. What is most
interesting about the book is its glimpse into Saudi Arabia’s restrictive
Muslim culture. Various aspects of Saudi culture are interwoven into the
narrative: the importance of hospitality, attitudes towards Americans and
immigrants, segregation of men and women, gender roles.
For Nayir and Katya to work together, they must resort to
deception and subterfuge which make Nayir uncomfortable. As a traditional
conservative Muslim, he has rather rigid ideas about female modesty and proper
behaviour. His interaction with Katya forces him to become more flexible as she
provides commentary on the realities of life for women. Nayir argues that “’All
the prescriptions for modesty and wearing the veil, for decent behavior and
abstinence before marriage’” are intended to protect women, but Katya counters
that “’those same prescriptions can sometimes cause the degradation people fear
the most’” (219).
In many ways, the main conflict is between tradition and desire.
Nayir wants to marry, yet his religious beliefs restrict his contact with
single women. Katya would like to be a wife and mother, but she also wants a
career, so she seeks “’a husband who respects [her] work’” (217). It also
becomes clear that Nouf also wanted the freedom to make choices: “’Yes, options
. . . I think that’s what Nouf wanted’” (218).
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy mysteries
in an exotic locale which is gradually made familiar.
Two more books have been added to this series: City of
Veils and Kingdom of Strangers.
No comments:
Post a Comment