That Other Me
United Arab Emirates

That Other Me

by Maha Gargash

Women & Society Contemporary Fiction Fiction 2016

Summary

In mid-1990s Dubai, the secrets of a wealthy Emirati family threaten to destroy the lives of those bound by its name. Majed Naseemy, a powerful businessman, has built his reputation on wealth and respectability while concealing betrayals that haunt him. In Cairo, his niece Mariam pursues an education and dreams of escaping his control, until an unexpected romance threatens to derail her plans. Meanwhile, Dalal, Majed’s rebellious daughter from a secret second marriage, dreams of becoming a singer—a career that could bring her fame but disgrace her family in the eyes of society. As both young women challenge the authority imposed upon them, buried resentments and family secrets begin to surface. Moving between the glittering worlds of Dubai and Cairo, That Other Me explores the tensions between tradition and independence, the price of social respectability, and the courage it takes for women to claim ownership of their lives.

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About the author
Maha Gargash
Maha Gargash

Maha Gargash is an Emirati novelist and documentary filmmaker born in Dubai to a prominent Emirati family. She studied radio and television at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., before completing a master’s degree at Goldsmiths, University of London. In 1985, she joined Dubai Television, where she worked on documentaries exploring traditional Arab societies. Her work in television took her across the region and gave her opportunities to research and document the cultural traditions that later became central to her fiction. Her debut novel, The Sand Fish (2009), is set in the United Arab Emirates during the 1950s and explores a young woman’s struggle for independence in a rapidly changing society. Her second novel, That Other Me (2016), examines family secrets, social expectations, and women’s ambitions in contemporary Gulf Arab culture. Through richly detailed settings and complex family relationships, Gargash brings Emirati life and traditions to an international readership.

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Details
Published
2016
Author
Maha Gargash