Minaret by Leila Aboulela
Leila Aboulela's American debut is a provocative, timely, and engaging novel about a young Muslim woman -- once privileged and secular in her native land and now impoverished in London -- gradually embracing her orthodox faith. With her Muslim hijab and down-turned gaze, Najwa is invisible to most eyes, especially to the rich families whose houses she cleans in London. Twenty years ago, Najwa, then at university in Khartoum, would never have imagined that one day she would be a maid. An upper-class Westernized Sudanese, her dreams were to marry well and raise a family. But a coup forces the young woman and her family into political exile in London. Soon orphaned, she finds solace and companionship within the Muslim community. Then Najwa meets Tamer, the intense, lonely younger brother of her employer. They find a common bond in faith and slowly, silently, begin to fall in love. Written with directness and force, Minaret is a lyric and insightful novel about Islam and an alluring glimpse into a culture Westerners are only just beginning to understand.
LEILA ABOULELA was born in Cairo and grew up in Khartoum. She has written four other novels: The Translator, Minaret, and Lyrics Alley, all of which were longlisted for the Orange Prize, and The Kindness of Enemies. Lyrics Alley won Novel of the Year at the Scottish Book Awards and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. She was awarded the Caine Prize for her short story The Museum, included in her collection Elsewhere, Home--winner of the Saltire Fiction Prize. She lives in Aberdeen.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780802170149 |
| ISBN 10 | 0802170145 |
| Title | Minaret |
| Author | Leila Aboulela |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press |
| Year published | 2005-08-19 |
| Number of pages | 288 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |