More than any other woman, Nawal El Saadawi has come has come to embody
the trials of Arab feminism.--San Francisco Chronicle
The leading spokeswoman on the status of women in the Arab
World.--Guardian
Saadawi writes with directness and passion.--The New York Times
Bodour, a distinguished literary critic and university professor,
carries with her a dark secret. As a young university student, she fell
in love with a political activist and gave birth to an illegitimate
daughter, Zeina, whom she abandoned on the streets of Cairo.
Zeina grows up to become one of Egypt's most beloved entertainers,
despite being deprived of a name and a home. In contrast, Bodour remains
trapped in a loveless marriage, pining for her daughter. In an attempt
to find solace she turns to literature, writing a fictionalized account
of her life. But when the novel goes missing, Bodour is forced on a
journey of self discovery, reliving and reshaping her past and her
future.
Will Bodour ever discover who stole the novel? Is there any hope of her
being reunited with Zeina?
Nawal El Saadawi is an internationally renowned Egyptian writer,
feminist, and psychiatrist. Her works have been translated into more
than thirty languages.