⇒ [PDF] Finding Nouf A Novel Zoë Ferraris 0046442873888 Books

Finding Nouf A Novel Zoë Ferraris 0046442873888 Books

Download As PDF : Finding Nouf A Novel Zoë Ferraris 0046442873888 Books

Finding Nouf A Novel Zoë Ferraris 0046442873888 Books

What Zoë does better than any author I have read is to take the Western reader inside the minds of conservative Saudi Muslims today. Her books are very accessible murder mysteries, solved by Saudis in Jedda. She is a good story-teller and her stories are character-driven and very visual. I think they could make a good movie.

What Finding Nouf does is what The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time did for Autism and what The Rosie Project did for Aspergers - it puts people in the mind and perceptions of other types of people who are hard to understand. Finding Nouf is especially important today because most Americans need to come to grips with how Muslims really think and act - the book makes it very accessible and visual and it is easy to imagine that it could create an important movie that might find a large audience. You have to think like a Saudi Muslim to solve the crimes. Nearly all other movies on Muslims are terrorism/CIA (e.g. Syriana) or just annoying (Syrian Bride, Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot). This one actually is a really good story (i.e., Colombo/CSI of Arabia) about day-to-day life in a conservative Muslim country (there are no radicals, terrorists, or terrorism). There is also a very strong and compelling feminist theme smoothly flowing behind the entire story line - like it or not, the very conservative Saudis must learn to live in the 21st century.


Tags : Finding Nouf: A Novel [Zoë Ferraris] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <DIV>Zoë Ferraris’s electrifying debut of taut psychological suspense offers an unprecedented window into Saudi Arabia and the lives of men and women there. When sixteen-year-old Nouf goes missing,Zoë Ferraris,Finding Nouf: A Novel,Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,0618873880,Mystery & Detective - General,Runaway children;Fiction.,Saudi Arabia;Fiction.,Teenage girls;Fiction.,American First Novelists,American Mystery & Suspense Fiction,FICTION Literary,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Mystery & Detective General,Literary,Runaway children,Teenage girls

Finding Nouf A Novel Zoë Ferraris 0046442873888 Books Reviews

I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. In the beginning you know that Nouf is missing and most likely dead. The Palestinian desert investigator, Nayir, initially is not the most likable character, seeming to be a rigid and judgmental religious fanatic. He meets Katya, a technician working in the coroner's office, who is a much more liberated and free thinking Muslim woman. The story continues with their joint and separate investigations of Nouf's death. The investigation is hampered by Nouf's very wealthy family who don't seem to want the truth to come out. The investigation itself makes for a very interesting story, but what makes it a five star plus book is how the author brings to life the struggles of everyday Saudi citizens to live within strict Muslim law. Nayir becomes much more sympathetic as you realize how conflicted he is between his desire to have a relationship with a woman and his religious beliefs. Katya has her own difficulties as her beliefs are much more liberal than the law allows. Following the two of them through their travels around the city and with their visits to Nouf's family, we get a vivid picture of everyday life in Saudi Arabia. It's fascinating to read about what the young women want to wear under their modest robes and the freedom many of them desire. By the end of the book, some of the outcome was predictable and there were some definite surprises, but it was a very satisfying conclusion. I can't recommend this book highly enough as both a very enjoyable story and a wonderful way to better understand a culture that is largely foreign to us.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book! The plot seemed well organized and thought out, but what I enjoyed most was the opportunity to look into the customs and mores of life in the middle east. I admit that some of it was baffling... the strange inability for men and women to communicate in a straightforward manner. It's difficult for a westerner to comprehend, but it helped me to understand how deep the chasm is between our cultures. I liked the fact that the author portrayed Nayir as a devout man, and was touched by his struggle to remain pure in thought and deed, inspite of the circumstances he found himself in. Although I am not very familiar with the ins and outs of his belief system, his conflicts were believable to me.
Finding Nouf is actually the first of Zoe Ferraris's three mystery novels and I have a new author to add to my list of favorites. I actually read her third book, Kingdom of Strangers, selected by my book club first so that now that I've read the first book I better understand and have filled in references that left me puzzled. Her main character is Katya Hijazi, an extremely perceptive PhD chafing under Muslim restrictions on women. In Finding Nouf we meet this twenty-eight year old forensic investigator who is engaged to a man in a large and wealthy Saudi family which is coping with the death of a daughter. The book quickly pulls the reader into the complexities of male-female relationships in this culture of so many limits on women. Katya ends up working with Nayir, a good friend of the deceased girl's brother who also just happens to be Katya's fiance.
I was first drawn to Ferraris because I am fascinated by foreign cultures. I loved Kite Runner but was astonished that women were simply absent from this powerful tale. How could this be? Katya and Nayir are a fascinating team with a unique chemistry playing off their respective insights and skills to solve highly unconventional crimes. I certainly hope that Ms Ferraris is working on her next novel because I look forward to spending a lot more time with these two!
What Zoë does better than any author I have read is to take the Western reader inside the minds of conservative Saudi Muslims today. Her books are very accessible murder mysteries, solved by Saudis in Jedda. She is a good story-teller and her stories are character-driven and very visual. I think they could make a good movie.

What Finding Nouf does is what The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time did for Autism and what The Rosie Project did for Aspergers - it puts people in the mind and perceptions of other types of people who are hard to understand. Finding Nouf is especially important today because most Americans need to come to grips with how Muslims really think and act - the book makes it very accessible and visual and it is easy to imagine that it could create an important movie that might find a large audience. You have to think like a Saudi Muslim to solve the crimes. Nearly all other movies on Muslims are terrorism/CIA (e.g. Syriana) or just annoying (Syrian Bride, Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot). This one actually is a really good story (i.e., Colombo/CSI of Arabia) about day-to-day life in a conservative Muslim country (there are no radicals, terrorists, or terrorism). There is also a very strong and compelling feminist theme smoothly flowing behind the entire story line - like it or not, the very conservative Saudis must learn to live in the 21st century.