Finding Nouf (aka The Night of the Mi’raj) by Zoë Ferraris)

Review by: Meagan Dashcund

The short
A whodunnit set on the dunes of Saudi Arabia. (Aka The Tales of Nayir and Katya, Book #1)

The long
The debut novel from Zoë Ferraris (a woman who moved to Saudi Arabia to live with her then- husband and his Saudi-Palestinian Bedouin family) focuses on Palestinian desert guide, Nayir, who both loves women and fears them. As he is tasked by a wealthy Saudi family to find their missing 16- year-old daughter, we watch him wrestle with societal expectation, religion, and his hesitant team-up with forensic scientist, Katya Hijazi, all while inevitably having to rely on women. A perfect read for anyone wanting a whodunnit mixed with a rare window for intercultural understanding.

To read or not to read?
It’s quick, engaging, and wonderfully provocative. We came for the murder mystery and stayed for the VIP access into Saudi culture from the perspective of an Ajnabee (Westerner). Bonus: if you love it, there are two more!