About this item
Highlights
- A novel of Dubai, The Sand Fish by Maha Gargash offers readers a fascinating glimpse into another corner of the world.
- Author(s): Maha Gargash
- 368 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Historical
Description
About the Book
Set in the 1950s in what is today Dubai, "The Sand Fish" is the story of a young woman from the mountains who is sent away from her family to become the third wife of a rich and much older pearl merchant.Book Synopsis
A novel of Dubai, The Sand Fish by Maha Gargash offers readers a fascinating glimpse into another corner of the world. Set in the 1950s in what is now the United Arab Emirates, The Sand Fish tells the poignant and powerful story of a rebellious young woman trapped in a repressive society--as richly atmospheric a look at Middle Eastern life and culture as The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and Alaa Al Aswany's The Yacoubian Building.
From the Back Cover
A fascinating window into a different culture--and an inspiring and unforgettable universal story of strength and self-reliance--from an extraordinarily wise and lyrical new literary voice
Coming of age in the 1950s, seventeen-year-old Noora is unlike other women of the sun-battered mountains at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Though she shares their poverty and, like them, bears life's hardships without complaint, she is also fiery and independent. Following the death of her mother and her father's descent into dazed madness, Noora flees the threat of an arranged marriage, only to be driven back to her unwanted fate by disappointment and heartbreak. As the third wife to a rich, much older man, Noora struggles to adjust to her new home by the sea, thinking of herself as a sand fish--the desert lizard she observed in the mountains, which, when stuck in the wrong place and desperate to escape, smashed itself again and again into unyielding rocks. But then a light is shone into her miserable darkness, resulting in an unexpected passion, a shocking indiscretion, and a secret that could jeopardize Noora's life.
Review Quotes
"Unadorned, poetic language, filled with well-integrated cultural detail. . . . [A] terrific choice for bookclub discussions. . . . This may find appeal with fans of The Kite Runner." -- Booklist
"Gargash weaves an enticing tale of a fiery, independent woman. . . . Intimate, well-paced prose. . . . An exciting, passion-filled read that illuminates an intriguing culture through the eyes and experience of a fiesty heroine." -- Publishers Weekly
"A young woman's story opens a window into Dubai on the verge of modernity. . . . Seaside and desert locales, along with the transitional time period, give a fresh twist to this standard tradition-versus-modernity plotline. . . . Her setting is original." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Gargash's poignant plot will appeal to diehard fans of world literature." -- Library Journal