A best-selling book when it appeared in Arabic, The Others is a literary tour de force, offering a window into one of the most repressive societies in the world. Seba al-Herz tells the story of a nameless teenager at a girls' school in the heavily Shi'ite Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Like her classmates, she has no contact with men outside her family. When the glamorous Dai tries to seduce her, her feelings of guilt are overcome by an overwhelming desire for sexual and emotional intimacy. Dai introduces her to a secret world of lesbian parties, online flirtations, and hotel liaisons—a world in which the thrill of infatuation and the shame of obsession are deeply intertwined. Al-Herz's erotic, dreamlike story of looming personal crisis is a remarkable portrait of hidden lives.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A rare, mesmerizing journey into the cloistered consciousness of a pious Shi'a university student in Qatif, Saudia Arabia, this controversial bestseller centers on a young woman whose lesbian affairs intensify her religious experience and compound her sense of self-abasement. A sheltered teenager living with her protective mother and studying Islamic jurisprudence at a women's college, the nameless narrator falls into a passionate physical relationship with another student named Dai, who is despotic and fiercely jealous. Given to flights of breathlessly manic description, the narrator depicts her secret shared moments with Dai in ecstatic bursts, all the while exploring Internet homosexual chatrooms and dabbling in flirtations with men and women. Erratically, she reveals details about herself, such as that a health issue has decreased her marriage prospects in a culture where early arranged marriage is the norm (her best friend essentially disappears when she gets engaged); as well, the narrator suffers from the losses of her father and brother. Al-Harez (a pseudonym) harnesses a great deal of a young woman's raw emotion, creating a startling and passionate work. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“A revolutionary novel with a culturally fascinating contextual twist”—Book Marks
“A hit when it was released in Arabic, the new English translation shows a side of the Middle East that many assume could never exist” —Modern Tonic Review
“A psychological portrait of what happens to the mind when it is kept inside a small space, The Others is both frightening and revealing”—Rain Taxi
“Already a best seller in Arabic (and published pseudonymously), this Saudi novel, in which a closeted lesbian Shia girl feverishly narrates her struggles and affairs, offers a rare personal glimpse into the repressive kingdom”—New York Magazine
“A trance-like excursion into contemporary Saudi Arabian life…[The Others] takes the mixing of ancient and modern cultures in the Muslim world and spotlights the contrast between the two”—The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide
“The exploration of an obsessed mind unable to relinquish her belief in a perfect body”–Counterpunch
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Total disappointment!!,
By
This review is from: The Others (Paperback)
By the time I finished writing this review I came to conclusion that I DISLIKE the book A LOT.
The description of the book intrigued me enough to order the book right away and have it shipped to Saud Arabia. As it turns out the description is highly exaggerated!! I am not a lesbian and have no problems with people engaging in homosexual activities. The main reason I bought the book is that I thought it would offer an upclose glimpse on a highly taboo topic in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world. I don't claim total knowledge of a so called "lesbian world" in Saudi Arabia but I feel comfortable in saying that my knowledge triumphs the author's. (I think any Saudi female has more knowledge about lesbians that the author). I found myself struggling to read the 276 pages book or even get into in. The author uses way too many metaphors and clichés for my taste and the story has no plot or conflict. At first I blamed the translation and decided to search for the book in its original language. I googled the book and to no surprise found it received a wave of criticism since its release in 2006. The book is supposedly banned in Saudi Arabia and in other gulf countries (but this has not been confirmed). Finally, I did find a downloadable version. Little by little I abandoned the English version and stayed with the Arabic one, which also contained the exact metaphors. I found it more acceptable to read it in Arabic probably because am used to such metaphors by some Arab writers, who consider using metaphor an art (the more the merrier). The book does not give enough details to be considered an erotic novel (as some reviewers describe it). Some homophobes found the little vague details disgusting and refused to continue reading the book. (I guess seeing people's reactions are more valuable than the work itself) Sadly, many Saudi authors like Siba and Rajaa Al-Sane (Girls from Riyadh) tend to write about cultural taboos while sticking it to minority groups (Shia, elite, biracial, tribes, western educated,... etc). End result is that readers judge the characters according to their minority status thus turn these works of fiction into evidence rather than eye openers. Unfortunately, in Saudi Arabia, there are a lot of misconceptions about Shia, especially those from the eastern region; the book succeeds in adding even more misconception about them. The author feeds on stereotype of the "average Joe" in Saudi Arabia: in no particular order (again these are stereotypes and do not represent my views) *Shias are deviant and lack morality (their women sleep with men and women...). *Lesbians lack religion, morals, family values and are heavily exposed to the corrupt western world. * Shia are groups who refuse to assimilate, have noloyalty to the country and cry wolf every now and then to gain sympathy from the world . Another thing I did not like is the excessive amount of detail-less stories that jump from one time zone to the other. For example the author attempts to write about the lesbian world yet excludes the lesbian scene in schools, universities, dormitories and social gatherings. ( The so-called lesbian scene in not really hidden as one Amazon reviewer suggests though it might be for a non-Saudi Male). In one chapter the author comes home from school and is surrounded by her mother and other women. They strip her naked, pull her lags apart and disfigure her with a nail filer (not fingernails as translated into English). The mother then stuffs a piece of flesh in a handkerchief and throws it in a waste bag (What was that about? More details PLEASE!!! This is something unheard of in Saudi Arabia!!) In another chapter the author makes reference to her father. He is released from Jail, makes many babies with the mom and then we don't hear of him again. What happened to the male dominant society? why doesn't the father have a voice? Moral of the review: Remove the metaphors and clichés and all you will have is a very short pointless story. I wouldn't be surprised if the author did not turn out to be from Qateef, Shia or even a girl. Saudi Author Zainab Hifny does a far superior job describing taboo in the Saudi Arabia (including the so-called "lesbian world" ... too bad her books are not translated into other languages. ****Tips on how to sell your book: write about women and sex in the Arab world, Saudi Arabia, Middle East, Islam... etc) If you're lucky the book will get banned and the author will reach fame in a matter of few days .Someone will want to translate you book and if you're a female, women's magazines will writer seller reviews!!!***
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing.,
By Amina Henriksen (New York, NY, United States) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Others (Paperback)
I have to say that I second much of Riem Farahat's review above, and I am a lesbian of half-Middle Eastern origin.
Too many clichés, metaphors everywhere, and an overall lack of cohesion that would have justified all the meandering. The most disappointing aspect was that the nameless protagonist never came to terms with her lesbianism (or much else for that matter). The book was one long, self-indulging moooaan. She exhibited self-hatred throughout, and in the end she claimed to have found her peace with a male. Yes, sorry to leak the ending, but it's THAT kind of a lesbian story. I must say that I found Riem's suggestion that she "wouldn't be surprised if the author did not turn out to be from Qateef, Shia or even a girl," to be intriguing. However, I did conclude that it was a woman who wrote the book. Confusion in men tends to be less melodramatic and capricious. To me, this was clearly a confused woman's story. In fact, the one positive aspect of this book was that it did shed light on the thinking behind some erratic, illogical, and self-destructive behaviour of a past lover.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprised!,
By St Croix "M" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Others (Paperback)
Like the other reviewers, I expected this book to be a gateway into a taboo topic in Saudi Arabia. We all know there are numerous homosexual relationships in Saudi Arabia, some in reaction to its practice of extremist segregation between the sexes, and others sprung forth from genuine romance. But what I found in THIS particular book was SO MUCH MORE. The narrator makes your heart pound with her obsessiveness, did Saudi society drive her to have such a negative outlook on life? Even her romance with Dai is extremely needy and riddled with drama. She comes from a very unique perspective in Saudi society, being a minority and oppressed threefold, being Shi'ite, a woman, and gay. I expected this book to be riddled with facts and figures on how Saudi Arabia essentially sucks to live in. But then I looked at the publisher and realized this book was meant for an Arab audience, and most Arabs already know that Saudi Arabia is terribly oppressive. That being said, I began appreciating the beauty in her writing. It's a shame that such a gifted authoress has to hide behind a pseudonym just because her country won't allow her to express herself. I am looking forward to many other works from this brilliant writer, on a variety of subjects. Hopefully, with such a dynamic voice, she doesn't just pidgeonhole herself to Saudi society. There is something of Nobokov in her writing, a warm and intimate voice. It gets you caught up in her voice and almost makes you think you're as crazy as the character.
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