Under the Veil

“I have gotten used to the idea, never challenged, that children do not gain the qualities of their sex until after marriage, when the girls give birth to children and the boys go out to work.” The quote sounds like something out of a Jane Austen tract from 200 years ago, but it is actually the product of present-day author Siba al-Harez. Her debut novel, The Others (out June 1), about a sexually ambiguous college student trying to stay sane in 21st century Saudi Arabia, provides a rare glimpse into lesbian life in an oppressive culture.

The 20-something Harez, writing under a pseudonym to protect her identity, reveals a secret lesbian subculture through a nameless protagonist who embarks on a series of passionate, tortured and sometimes violent relationships with other Saudi women. Struggling to survive a centuries-old tradition of sublimation, the women text each other provocative messages, Google and Yahoo! their way to gay chat rooms — since lesbian sites are blocked — and use cultural references from films as varied as The Sixth Sense, Meet Joe Black and Chocolat for perspective.

A hit when it was released in Arabic, the new English translation shows a side of the Middle East that many assume could never exist. Even in Saudi Arabia, same-sex love and passion can conquer all.


The Others will be available June 1 from Seven Stories Press.