Finding Nouf

From the book jacket: Wen sixteen-year-old Nouf goes missing, along with a truck and her favorite camel, her prominent family calls on Nayir ash-Sharqi, a desert guide, to lead a search party. Ten days later, her body is discovered by anonymous desert travelers. But when the coroner’s office determines that Nouf died from drowning, and her family seems suspiciously uninterested in getting at the truth, Nayir takes it upon himself to find out what really happened to her.

My reaction
This was a wonderful debut psychological thriller. I particularly appreciated the setting in Saudi Arabia, and the use of a female lab technician who has some decidedly “modern” sensibilities. Katya Hijazi chafes at the rigid segregation of men and women show more in this ultra-conservative society. Her widowed father indulges her – to a point; she still must have a driver and escort wherever she goes.

Contrast this strong woman, determined to be as modern as possible within the confines of societal rules, with Nayir. He’s a Palestinian orphan who was raised by a bachelor uncle. He is devoutly Muslim, praying five times a day, refraining from contact with women, and rather rigid in his daily life. He is appalled at this brazen woman, and yet intrigued by, even drawn to her. Theirs is a partnership neither sought, but which both ultimately appreciate.

I’m fascinated by this glimpse into modern-day Saudi Arabia, a country that lives by an ancient code that mystifies this Westerner. I’m interested to see where Ferraris takes this series.

Published in the UK as Night Of the Mi’raj show less

This is a fascinating exploration of the very restrictive Saudi culture told accessibly through a conventional murder-mystery. Nayir ash-Sharqi is a desert guide, a devout Palestinian often mistaken for a Bedouin. At the book's beginning, Nayir has been hired by a wealthy and prominent Jeddah family to track their runaway daughter Nouf in the desert. When Nouf's body is found, and there is some evidence of a cover-up at the coroner's office, Nayir tries to get to the bottom of what happened to Nouf. Because laws and customs enforce the strict separation of men and women, Nayir cannot get very far in his inquiries about Nouf. He is helped when he meets Katya Hijazi, a technician in the medical examiners lab, who helps Nayir investigate show more the case, and helps him to understand the world of Saudi women - the mechanics of their everyday lives, and the emotional complexity of being and growing and hoping and dreaming in such a restrictive environment. The mystery turned the pages, though it stretched credulity at times, but the glimpse into Saudi life and the thoughts and perceptions of characters living that life was completely fascinating. Recommended. show less

This is a difficult book to review because I had mixed reactions to different aspects of it. As pure storytelling I have one response but this is underpinned by a some doubts about the authenticity of the setting Ferraris has depicted and as these doubts, which might be unfounded, grew I think they affected my enjoyment of the story itself. As always though these are one person’s thoughts and if you don’t like them there are plenty of other opinions to be had.

When 16-year old Nouf ash-Shrawi disappears from the home of her wealthy Saudi Arabian family her brother Othman asks his friend, Palestinian born Nayir ash-Sharqi, to look for her. Nayir, often mistaken for a Bedouin, is a desert guide and is only too willing to assist his show more friend. Unfortunately though Nouf is found dead in a desert Wadi and the autopsy reveals she has drowned. What remains to uncover then is whether she ran away or was kidnapped. Nayir takes on the role of the family’s investigator but when Othman’s fiancée Katya Hijazi, a lab technician who assisted with the autopsy, also becomes involved in the investigation Nayir struggles because, being a conservative Muslim, he is not allowed to talk to a single woman.

From a pure storytelling standpoint this is an entertaining, if somewhat slow-moving novel, though probably not one for die hard crime fiction fans as it’s really not much of a mystery. However I think Ferraris’ intent is to paint a picture of the exotic location and society and the plot device of solving a possible murder was simply the most convenient way to achieve that end. It is hard to imagine for example too many circumstances other than the unexpected death of his friend’s young sister that would have prompted someone as conservative as Nayir to interact with a single woman in the way he ultimately interacts with Katya.

Nayir, Katya, Othman and even Nouf to the extent we learn about her after her death are thoughtfully depicted character studies. The competing desire to conform to their society’s strict rules and their frustration at having to do so is shown from both a female and male perspective which is unusual and worth exploring. The kind of claustrophobia that some people, women in particular, must feel in these surroundings especially when they have had some exposure to different cultures including less strict Muslim ones, was very well shown and the highlight of the novel for me. In particular the sad resolution to the mystery was very fitting in that it demonstrated what people will do when there are such limited opportunities for them to change their circumstances.

But on to my qualms about this book. Let me first state I am no expert on either Saudi Arabia or Islamic life but as I read the book I kept picking up on little details that didn’t sound right to me from my limited knowledge of the country and culture. Not only did this make me wonder what else might I be missing, but I couldn’t help but ponder if the book was doing less ‘lifting the veil on a culture we know little about’ and more reflecting back some entrenched stereotypes about that culture that westerners are largely comfortable with. If this is what’s happening I have no idea how much is to do with the author’s mistakes and how much might be due to publishers asking for changes that fit in better with the target audience’s existing knowledge but either way I didn’t fully buy into the story because of my perception of inaccuracy about some fairly fundamental details.

At one point for example there is mention made of a pious young girl who came to visit the family for a short time but has stayed for 2 years and repeated the Haj (or Hajj)12 times. The Haj is an annual event that happens during specific dates on the Islamic calendar and I think that even if the young girl had visited Mecca at other times (unlikely in itself) it would be called an Umrah. Another language discrepancy that I picked up was that the women were referred to as wearing burqas whereas the face covering in Saudi Arabia is of a different kind and is known as a nikab. Even more troubling though than these kinds of inaccuracies were things that I felt served no purpose other than to perpetuate some good old-fashioned stereotypes. The one that immediately springs to mind is when Nayir is pondering whether two particular men might be gay which serves no purpose whatsoever other than an opportunity for readers to be told what horrible things happen to gay people in Saudi Arabia.

I’m not for one moment suggesting that everything in the book is wrong or that I don’t have severe misgivings about the way women can be treated when the strictest interpretation of Islamic law is applied. I’m just not entirely convinced that this book, regardless of how good the story might be, adds much to the western understanding of the culture it is depicting. show less

Nayir ash-Sharqi is a Palestinian born and raised in Saudi Arabia. He's also a desert guide, often hired by the wealthy Shrawi family. They've asked him to help them track down the whereabouts of their 16-year-old daughter, Nouf, who went missing just three days before her wedding. He discovers her body in the desert, but so many things don't seem to make sense. When Nayir goes to the coroner to bring her home to her family, he is shocked to see the damage done to her corpse. He decides to continue his investigation into the cause of her death.

One of the very few women allowed to work in the laboratory, technician, Katya Hijazi, suspects murder. Katya is connected to the case through her engagement to Nouf's older brother Othman, and show more she teams with Nayir to look into Nouf's death. Initially, Nayir is horrified by Katya's boldness, but he gradually comes to respect her intelligence and skill. As they continue their investigation, both Nayir and Katya must confront deeply held beliefs as they uncover long buried family secrets.

What a fascinating book. It checks all the boxes of a typical forensic crime procedural but the Saudi Arabian setting and culture make it even better. I thought the author did a fantastic job of using a male protagonist but giving the reader a look into female characters who live and attempt to work in a society bound by strict Muslim law. I highly recommend this book to any mystery fan or anyone who wants an intriguing eye into a society that is still a mystery to most of us. I can't wait to read the next book in the series, City of Veils. show less

I read the second of Zoë Ferraris's Saudi mysteries, City of Veils, first and was completely transported. So much so that I felt the need to get my hands on this-- the first-- book. I'm glad I did. In three novels (Kingdom of Strangers is the third), Ferraris has opened the door and shed light on a landscape, a people, and a culture that are almost totally alien to Westerners. She does it with firsthand knowledge, psychological insight, tightly woven plots, and a writing style that can be downright poetic.

Finding Nouf is a wonderful introduction to life in a Muslim country-- from dealing with the climate to many of its customs. One of the things I appreciated most from reading this book is being shown how the practice of Islam differs show more from country to country.

The two main characters-- Katya Hijazi and Nayir al-Sharqi-- are interesting in and of themselves, but also as examples of traditional and non-traditional views. Nayir is very traditional in his beliefs, so when he first begins working with the non-traditional unmarried Katya, he spends most of his time being shocked and not knowing where to look. It's refreshing to watch him slowly-- very slowly-- begin to relax a bit around her.

It's unusual for women to work in Saudi Arabia, and there are all sorts of restrictions on what types of jobs women may have and where they're able to work. Watching Katya navigate all these rules and regulations shows us how strong she is. How determined she is to succeed. She's just the sort of person who should be the coroner, but in order for that to happen, Katya is going to have to leave the country of her birth. Any Western woman who reads this book will have an eye-opening experience. She's undoubtedly going to feel incredulous and frustrated as well, especially when Katya's life is put in contrast to the lives of the extremely wealthy women of Nouf's family. (A large parking lot paved in marble? And that's before you enter the house!)

I was blindsided by the identity of Nouf's killer, and that doesn't happen often. I loved this book, and recommend it highly. I also have good news: Ferraris is a writer who starts with a winner and just keeps improving. As much as I love Finding Nouf, City of Veils is even better. My advice? Read all three of Zoë Ferraris's excellent Saudi mysteries! show less

A basic murder mystery is raised above the norm by its setting in Saudi Arabia. We see how one of the most controlling and repressive societies in the world affects the lives of its citizens; the rich and the not-so-rich, male and, most tellingly,female. Nayir, the desert guide, who is engaged by a wealthy family to find their missing daughter, starts off the book as a slightly unsympathetic character. He struggles to uphold his devout muslim beliefs in the face of all sorts of challenges, mainly involving females. He teams up with Katya, an intelligent and independantly-minded employee at the Coroner's Office and slowly looses his prejudices. Their developing relationship is what captivated me most; Nayir's sense of humour slowly show more emerges and when I reached the final page I was really rooting for him. show less

A young girl is dead and a desert guide trys to find out why when her family seems oddly disinterested. The book investigates the layers of a society that is so stifled by religious traditions and rules, that neither men or women are free to express their feelings or even acknowledge them. Instead, everyone is squeezed into a tiny box of their own, with the walls of tradition, religion, religious police, informers, family and fear boxing them in. Small rays of hope are expressed through a woman who works, yet would like to marry and have children - options she says, is what she wants. A clear picture of a country kept in the dark ages by patriarchal, and deadly, control.