This debut novel from an award-winning short story writer is a multigenerational saga that spans Lebanon, Iraq, India, the United States, and Kuwait, illuminating the triumphs and failures of three generations of Arab women. In 2013, Sara, a philosophy professor at Kuwait University, returns to Kuwait after her mother's sudden death eleven years prior. Her companions include her grandmother's talking parrot, Bebe Mitu; the family cook, Aasif; and Maria, her childhood ayah. Sara's relationship with Kuwait is complex; she feels a pull to leave yet is held back by inertia. When a teaching incident involving Nietzsche leads to an accusation of blasphemy with dire consequences, Sara must confront her feelings and her identity. Interwoven with her story are the narratives of her grandmothers: Yasmine, who marries the son of the Pasha of Basra and lives with regret, and Lulwa, who rises from poverty in Kuwait to a life in India with a wealthy merchant's son. Additionally, Sara's mothers, Noura and Maria, shape her life in profound ways. Spanning from the 1920s to the near present, the novel traces Kuwait's transformation from a pearl-diving backwater to a cosmopolitan city, offering an intimate yet sweeping exploration of personal and political themes in an unforgettable family saga.
