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An "exquisitely woven" novel of love, exile, and violated honor among a Bedouin tribe from the Jordanian-British author and human rights activist (Leila Aboulela).
Salma has committed a crime considered punishable by death among her Bedouin tribe of Hima in the Levant: she had sex out of wedlock and became pregnant. When Salma gives birth to the child, she suddenly finds herself a fugitive on the run from those seeking to restore their honor.
Though she is placed in protective custody, Salma's newborn child is ripped from her arms upon arrival. Devastated and disowned, she endures years of isolation before she is ushered to safety in Exeter, England, where she faces a new set of social pressures and expectations. With the help of an elderly English landlady and a Pakistani girl on the run from an arranged marriage, Salma is finally able to forge a new identity.
But just as she settles into her new life, the need to return for her lost daughter overwhelms her, and one fateful day, Salma goes back to her village to find the girl. It is a journey that risks everything.
“A brilliant Jordanian writer.” —Malcolm Bradbury, The Telegraph Magazine
“Fadia Faqir’s first novel, Nisanit, was decades ahead of its time. Her captivating new novel deals with the timeless themes of unforgiveness, friendship, and travel. Exquisitely woven, laced with humor and social awareness, it hums with the futility of erasing the past.” —Leila Aboulela, author of Minaret and The Translator
“This is a beautiful book, written in vivid, tender prose. . . . Salma is an unforgettable character, fierce and loving, veering between self-hatred and a sense of her own strength, touching and funny. Now I have finished the book, I miss her.” —Maggie Gee, director of The Royal Society of Literature and author of the Orange Prize short-listed novel, The White Family
“Faqir (Pillars of Salt) has written an exquisite novel . . . the discontinuous narrative of Salma’s life is as well constructed as a mosaic in which each tile is lovely in itself but helps to create a whole that is breathtaking. . . . Strongly recommended for all literary collections.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“[A] sinister, moody psychological novel. . . . a dreadful atmosphere of growing menace lurks over the story as its damaged, emotionally disturbed characters interact and form dangerous, obsessive relationships. This is a Highsmith tour-de-force—a must read for those who’ve tested Highsmith territory with the Ripley novels. The Cry of the Owl moves with precision skill to its stunning conclusion.” —Guy Savage, Mostly Fiction
Fadia Faqir is the author of two other novels, Nisanit and Pillars of Salt. In 1990 the University of East Anglia awarded her the first PhD in Critical and Creative Writing. Brought up in Amman, she now lives with her husband in Durham, England.