This is a rare novel, a novel by a writer from Oman, and a woman writer at that. It recounts the life of several interconnected families in the latter half of the 20th C in a small village. There are a number of social observations which are interesting to see:
- the power and importance of the father in a family, even as the sons themselves age and become fathers
- insight into the woman's universe, so separate from that of the men - this takes up a lot of the book
- the institution of slavery and its persistent ramifications after it is finally banned
- the beginnings of rebellion as young people leave despite family disapproval to work in bigger cities or even other countries
- various attitudes towards love and marriage, some highly pragmatic, some impossibly idealized and dreamy
The book is narrated in short bits and passages as the author passes from one character to another and one social position to another. It works because it is broken up, though I found the end a bit too choppy.
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