Zoe Ferraris has given us two mysteries in this debut novel, one to be solved and one that simply evolves. The fundamental mystery as indicated in the book title is finding a 16 year old girl who is missing. With a writing style that is clean and straightforward, Ferraris presents many twists and turns and an interesting puzzle to be solved. The characters are persuasive and provide a literary element to the book. My initial negative feelings of conflict and aversion to the main character Nayir, gradually transform into feelings of approval and respect and with it, some of my personal misconceptions of Saudi men; they are not necessarily all cruel, rigid beings. The more compelling mystery however is that of the repressive Saudi culture. The author illustrates the complex nature of relationships between men and women in this society where casual relationships between the sexes are challenging and transgressions punishable (by the “relationship police”). The voice of Nayir gives an honest perspective of the anxiety and frustrations a male in this culture feels and Katay is the voice of the future for women; she is forward thinking and takes non traditional avenues like choosing her own marriage partner and working in a lab rather than using her degree to teach. The Arabian Desert also has a voice; there are some very interesting passages of living in this extreme climate. In summary, a nice mystery and a captivating look at the Muslim culture. Awarded the 2008 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for first fiction and winner of the Alex Award, which is given to adult books that have special appeal to young adults. I look forward to this author’s next book. Review previously published at
Princeton Book Review ( )

The combination of mystery & different culture was excellent reading for me. ( )

This book is called :The night of the Mi'raj", must be the title for Australian audiences. Learnt much about Saudi Arabian culture and the inequality of women that exits in this country. A story that got better as you read into it ( )

In Finding Nouf, a mystery set in Saudi Arabia, clues are either heavily veiled, buried, or shifting like sands in the wind…literally. Nouf ash-Shrawi, a 16-year-old young woman, disappears just days before her wedding. She has everything – a wealthy family, an upcoming wedding, her whole life ahead of her – she has no reason to run away, right? Her family, believing she may have been kidnapped, hires a desert guide, Nayir al-Sharqi, to find her. But Nayir doesn’t find her. Bedouins passing through the desert find her instead – and dead, an apparent drowning in a wadi (a gully or streambed found in the Middle East and Africa during the rainy season).

Nayir, a strict Muslim, is so upset he didn’t find Nouf before it was too late, that he feels compelled to find out what really happened to her. Not only did he fail Nouf, but he let down her family, especially his good friend Othman, Nouf’s brother. Nayir, frequently described as a holy Bedouin desert guide, is really Palestinian, living in Saudi Arabia, not a Bedouin but working as a desert guide and embracing the Bedouin culture, and living at the marina on a boat. The hulking, gentle, desert man with a love affair with the sea, where he finds “a curious replication of the sandy waste.” How’s that for being an outsider?

One of his first stops is the crime lab. There a lab technician named Katya Hijazi is also taking a strong interest in Nouf’s case and she and Nayir reluctantly join forces. Though pious Nayir is initially taken aback by what he perceives to be Katya’s brazen (and sinful) manners, Katya is his only hope for finding information about Nouf’s case from the heavily veiled and secret world of women. Add to that the seemingly minor detail that Katya is engaged to marry Othman. Nayir shouldn’t be the escort of his good friend’s fiancee; in fact, most of Nayir’s traditional ideas are put to the test as he works with Katya and learns more about Nouf.

Nouf is buried with her back facing Mecca – how could that be? This is one of many clues that lead Nayir and Katya into the Shrawi’s elegant home by the sea, and into the heart and dreams of Nouf and her siblings. This 2009 Alex Award Winner is a mystery, to be sure, but also a fascinating exploration into the mystery of gender relationships in Saudi Arabia

really captivating until the end. HORRIBLE ENDING ( )