I read Ghada Abdel Al's translated book with the intention that it was going to be absolute poo and a giant cheesefest. By the end of it, however, I realized that I had accidentally genuinely enjoyed the novel, and re-read it immediately because of how much I liked it!
This novel used to be an Arabic blog by the Egyptian Abdel Al, but its popularity grew so quickly that publishers immediately picked it up as a novel. Abdel Al writes about the trials and tribulations that come with finding Mr. Right in modern day Egypt. She is a 28-year-old pharmacist, and by Arab standards, a spinster. She gets more and more desperate and ends up having completely off-putting fools showing up and asking for her hand. One is a giant, intimidating security guard with hilariously feminine traits, another is a robber, and a third is in pursuit of a fourth wife.
It's more than just the complaints of a modern-day educated Hijabi, it's about what society dictates is acceptable for women and how breaking from tradition is taboo in certain Egyptian families. Let us not forget that these are some of the same people who practice female circumcision despite the centurial advancements of medicine. Still, Ghada's story is natural, funny, and relatable to not just Arab women, but women seeking to settle down in general.
I know the cover makes it look as silly as a Sophie Kinsella novel, but I promise, it's chock-full of societal debates and renunciation of tradition. Yay!
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