Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
It’s a 21st-century look at Saudi, one of the most secretive societies in the world. There was a lot of hype about this book. The author was likened to Candace Bushnell, the author of Sex and the City. So this was the Eastern version but without the sex!
What about your final book, Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea?
It’s a 21st-century look at Saudi, one of the most secretive societies in the world. There was a lot of hype about this book. The author was likened to Candace Bushnell, the author of Sex and the City. So this was the Eastern version but without the sex!
It was a glimpse into this secret society and that is what drew me to it. It talks about dating, relationships, love, Islam and expectations. And of course Saudi is a very conservative Islamic society.
Does it explore how the women really feel, because often in the West we project our views on to how women there feel about their situation and sometimes we get it wrong?
Well, I don’t think it challenges stereotypes about Saudi. It still shows it to be a very male-dominated society where the women feel stifled. There are so many expectations put on them in terms of who they marry, what it means to be a good Muslim girl.
It all sounds very Jane Austen.
It does. Although I didn’t think it was particularly well written. May be that was lost in translation, but it is still an interesting world to find out more about. Despite being such a male-dominated and conservative Islamic society, the women there still have hopes and dreams like women worldwide.
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Shazia Khan is a radio and TV reporter. She reports for the BBC World Service and Radio 4. Her background and training is in news but now she specialises in reporting on faith and culture. She has presented numerous documentaries on subjects such as women and beauty, sacred music and gay Muslims.
