Muslim Women Write: A Year of Fiction

Description
A year-long reading list celebrating Muslim women authors in fiction. From Kamila Shamsie’s Home Fire to Uzma Jalaluddin’s Ayesha at Last, these stories explore identity, migration, faith, and resilience across cultures. Curated for Western University’s MLIS Reader’s Advisory course, this list highlights global Muslim women’s voices through compelling storytelling and diverse genres.
1
Home Fire
by Kamila Shamsie
2,123 members
85 reviews
4.1
Member
KhawlahS
Explanations
KhawlahS: A contemporary retelling of Antigone, exploring a British-Pakistani family divided by faith, politics, and love. Shamsie’s prose powerfully examines loyalty and identity in a post-9/11 Britain.
2
A Woman Is No Man
by Etaf Rum
2,012 members
73 reviews
4
Member
KhawlahS
Explanations
KhawlahS: Three generations of Palestinian-American women confront silence, shame, and the pursuit of agency within a patriarchal culture. A moving portrait of resilience and inherited trauma.
3
Ayesha at Last
by Uzma Jalaluddin
736 members
55 reviews
3.8
Member
KhawlahS
Explanations
KhawlahS: A Muslim Pride and Prejudice set in modern Toronto, where witty dialogue and family pressures meet faith and romance. A charming, heartfelt story about love and self-discovery.
4
The Bird King
by G. Willow Wilson
946 members
40 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
KhawlahS
Explanations
KhawlahS: In the final days of Moorish Spain, a mapmaker and his friend flee the Inquisition. A magical, spiritual tale blending friendship, freedom, and imagination.
5
The Moor's Account
by Laila Lalami
1,119 members
55 reviews
4
Member
KhawlahS
Explanations
KhawlahS: A Moroccan slave’s reimagined memoir as the first Black explorer of America. Lalami restores erased Muslim and African voices to the history of conquest.
6
Celestial Bodies
by Jokha Alharthi
712 members
29 reviews
½ 3.3
Member
KhawlahS
Explanations
KhawlahS: An intimate, multi-generational story tracing Omani women’s lives amid love, loss, and societal change. Winner of the Man Booker International Prize.
7
The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf
by Mohja Kahf
209 members
10 reviews
½ 3.6
Member
KhawlahS
Explanations
KhawlahS: A Syrian-American girl grows up in 1970s–90s Midwest America, navigating faith, feminism, and belonging. A warm, insightful coming-of-age novel.
8
The Orchard of Lost Souls
by Nadifa Mohamed
229 members
9 reviews
3.9
Member
KhawlahS
Explanations
KhawlahS: Set in Somalia before the civil war, three women’s paths intersect through love and loss. A powerful exploration of survival and womanhood amid political collapse.
9
Silence Is a Sense
by Layla AlAmmar
75 members
10 reviews
½ 4.3
Member
KhawlahS
Explanations
KhawlahS: A mute refugee observes her new European neighborhood through her window. A haunting look at trauma, displacement, and rebuilding identity.
10
Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion
by Bushra Rehman
172 members
9 reviews
3.8
Member
KhawlahS
Explanations
KhawlahS: In 1980s Queens, Pakistani-American teen Razia discovers friendship, queerness, and faith within her immigrant community. Tender and rebellious in equal measure.
11
The Pearl That Broke Its Shell
by Nadia Hashimi
1,223 members
80 reviews
4.1
Member
KhawlahS
Explanations
KhawlahS: Two Afghan women, one modern, one historical, break free from societal limits through courage and ingenuity. A story of endurance and transformation.
12
River Spirit
by Leila Aboulela
107 members
5 reviews
3.9
Member
KhawlahS
Explanations
KhawlahS: A historical novel set in 19th-century Sudan, following Akuany and Yaseen through love, faith, and revolution. A richly spiritual story of resistance and moral conviction.