The Sand Fish by Maha Gargash
The Sand Fish narrates a story from the 1950’s about a soft and shy, yet strong and independent young woman named Noora.
Noora is a young woman struggling through age old traditions that put men’s voices and opinions first and women’s never. With her mother passed away and a mentally unstable father, Noora and her younger brother Sager are forced to fend for themselves at a young age.
The relationship between Noora and Sager, however, quickly turns, as Noora starts to see her younger brother becoming the typical image of a man, as he starts to give her talks of marriage. Noora being only 18 years of age, and not completely convinced by the idea of marriage, resists and attempts to escape the marriage that Sager eventually puts her through. This leaves her with a feeling of betrayal and heartbreak.
I love how the story goes through the life of tribes and stories from the mountains, the struggles of life from the past. It talks of folk tales and old tribal legends. It also gives the reader a vibe of authenticity from the mentioned tribal and regional customs, such as the nose kiss, the famed Nadba of the mountain tribes, the ways of hospitality, and the regional vocabulary used. It is also beautifully descriptive of the nature of the region — of the ecosystems, the mountains, trees, seas, deserts, and waters, as well as the aflaj.
Maha Gargash’s writing style is quite poetic and moving — it is full of strong emotions carried by strong words that make the reader get a strong attachment to the story and its characters.
The Sandfish, I must say, is one of my favorite Middle Eastern Literature reads of the year. It is the only English novel I have read from the Gulf region, and to me, I felt like it was the perfect introduction to the genre. The book was perfect for me as someone who is a lover of nature, heritage, culture, and all that has to do with them.
(Note: the cover of the book might say a novel from Dubai, as the writer is from Dubai, but the setting is most likely Ras Al Khaimah)
