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A Land Without Jasmine
A Land Without Jasmine | Wajdi Al-Ahdal
7 posts | 6 read | 7 to read
Under the watchful eyes of the men in her community the beautiful, virtuous Jasmine goes about her daily business, keeping to herself and avoiding the male gaze at all costs. That is until one Valentine's Day, when this beguiling creature vanishes without a trace. As details surrounding her sudden disappearance emerge the mystery deepens. Sexual depravity, honour, obsession ... the motives are numerous and the suspects plentiful. It seems that everyone wants a piece of the charming young student. Family, friends, fellow students and nosey neighbours are quick to make their own judgements on the case, but the truth may be far stranger than anyone anticipates. Wajdi al-Ahdal is a Yemini novelist with a fresh and provocative voice. His works are often controversial and A Land Without Jasmine is no exception, candidly exploring coming of age in a land of sexual repression. He is the author of four novels and four short story collections, and was nominated for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2008 for his novel The Quarantine Philosopher.
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DGRachel
A Land Without Jasmine | Wajdi Al-Ahdal
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Pickpick

It seems wrong to say I enjoyed this book. It was a hard read, very short, but also well-written (except for the alarming number of exclamation points). The ending was unsatisfying, but most of the book made me rage-y and can best be summed up with a loud “Fuck the Patriarchy!” #readingasia2021 #yemen

Librarybelle You‘ve made this sound like a must read! 3y
BarbaraBB I agree with @Librarybelle 🤍 3y
56 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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DGRachel
A Land Without Jasmine | Wajdi Al-Ahdal
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So much of this book is ugly, but I thought this imagery is beautiful, if sad.

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Kathrin
A Land Without Jasmine | Wajdi Al-Ahdal
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I read the first chapter and already have 11 sections highlighted.

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rwmg
A Land Without Jasmine | Wajdi Al-Ahdal
Pickpick

Jasmine, a young archaeology student in Yemen, disappears. After an extract from Jasmine's diary we hear from the police investigator, witnesses, and suspects.

Fascinating inside look at a different society and very different from standard detective fiction

Josee.lit.a.lu.et.lira Thank you for this review, stack add 📚🙏🏻 4y
12 likes1 stack add1 comment
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rwmg
A Land Without Jasmine | Wajdi Al-Ahdal
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Currently reading

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kricheal
A Land Without Jasmine | Wajdi Al-Ahdal
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Pickpick

HUGE culture shock...great noir, leaves you guessing because there could potentially be multiple outcomes. It put me WAY outside my comfort zone. Highly recommend.

18 likes2 stack adds
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kricheal
A Land Without Jasmine | Wajdi Al-Ahdal
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On to this next on overdrive