Fiction

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1
The Bride of Amman
The Bride of Amman
Fadi Zaghmout
Set in Jordan’s capital, The Bride of Amman follows five young people—four women and one gay man—as they navigate love, sexuality, marriage, and the restrictive social expectations surrounding them. Rana falls in love with a man of a different religion and faces the consequences of their relationship. Hayat struggles with the emotional scars of an abusive childhood, while Ali is pressured into a heterosexual marriage to conceal his sexuality. Meanwhile, Leila confronts the stigma attached to divorce and remaining unmarried, and her sister Salma challenges society’s expectations through her anonymous online writing. Through these interwoven stories, Fadi Zaghmout portrays a society caught between modern aspirations and deeply rooted traditions. The novel examines how gender roles, religious boundaries, and social conventions shape intimate lives, often forcing individuals to choose between personal happiness and public acceptance. Blending humor with painful realism, it challenges the silence surrounding sexuality and women’s autonomy in the Arab world. Ultimately, the novel asks what freedom means when the price of living honestly can be social rejection.
Jordan 2015
2
A Little Luck
A Little Luck
Claudia Piñeiro
A Little Luck follows Mary Lohan, a woman who returns to the Buenos Aires suburb she left twenty years earlier after a traumatic accident transformed her life. She has built a new identity far from the place where the tragedy occurred, changing not only her name but also her appearance and the way she relates to the world. Returning home forces her to confront memories she has tried to suppress and people whose lives remain connected to her past. As old secrets begin to surface, Mary must reconsider the choices that shaped her life and the guilt she has carried for decades. Piñeiro explores the fragile boundary between reinvention and denial, asking whether it is possible to escape the past or whether genuine freedom requires facing the truth about oneself.
Argentina 2015
3
Bride and Groom
Bride and Groom
Alisa Ganieva
Set in contemporary Dagestan, Bride and Groom follows two young people whose prospects for marriage become entangled with the expectations of their families and community. Against a backdrop of religious conservatism, social pressure, and political uncertainty, the characters struggle to reconcile their personal desires with the traditions that govern their lives. Marriage becomes more than a private romantic decision: it is also a negotiation involving family honour, social status, and competing ideas about modernity and cultural identity. Ganieva offers an intimate portrait of a society undergoing profound change, where old customs and new aspirations coexist uneasily. With humour and sharp observation, the novel reveals how difficult it can be to make independent choices when the community claims a powerful stake in individual lives.
Russia 2015
4
Pearl Thief
Pearl Thief
Noor Al Noaimi
The Pearl Thief is a short story about Hassan, a poor Bahraini islander determined to improve his family’s circumstances. Struggling to care for his ageing parents, he considers an extraordinary undertaking: joining a pearl-diving expedition despite being unable to swim. The dangerous world of traditional pearl diving offers the possibility of escaping poverty, but it also demands courage and exposes participants to serious risks. Hassan must confront his fears and question whether determination alone can overcome the limitations imposed by his circumstances. Through his journey, Noor Al Noaimi evokes Bahrain’s historical relationship with the sea and the pearl trade, once central to the livelihoods of coastal communities. The story explores economic hardship, family responsibility, and the desire to change one’s destiny in a society where opportunity is often determined by birth and social position.
Bahrain 2015
5
The Orphan Sky
The Orphan Sky
Ella Leya
The Orphan Sky follows Leila, a young Azerbaijani woman whose life is shaped by the tensions between personal ambition, family expectations, and the political realities of her country. Growing up in a society where tradition and modernity frequently collide, Leila dreams of a future that allows her to make her own choices. Her experiences reveal the pressures faced by women navigating restrictive social expectations while trying to establish an independent identity. As she confronts difficult relationships and the consequences of decisions made by those around her, Leila must reconsider what freedom and belonging mean to her. Through an intimate portrait of contemporary Azerbaijani life, Leya explores the complexities of cultural identity, the influence of family history, and the struggle to determine one’s own future in a society undergoing profound change.
Azerbaijan 2015
6
Orhan's Inheritance
Orhan's Inheritance
Aline Ohanesian
Orhan’s Inheritance follows Orhan, a young Turkish man who unexpectedly inherits his grandfather’s house in a village in Anatolia. The inheritance is complicated by the appearance of Seda, an elderly Armenian American woman who claims that the property belongs to her family. Determined to understand the dispute, Orhan investigates his grandfather’s past and uncovers a history connected to the Armenian genocide of 1915. Through alternating perspectives and different periods, the novel reveals how violence, forced displacement, and silence have shaped two families across generations. As Orhan learns about the experiences of those who came before him, he must reconsider the stories he has inherited about his family and country. Ohanesian explores historical memory, responsibility, and the difficult process of confronting atrocities that remain painful long after the events themselves.
Armenia 2015
7
Girl at War
Girl at War
Sara Novic
Girl at War follows Ana Jurić, a ten-year-old girl growing up in Zagreb when the Yugoslav Wars erupt in the early 1990s. As violence spreads across Croatia, Ana’s childhood is shattered, and she experiences the devastating consequences of war, including the loss of loved ones and the destruction of her sense of security. After a traumatic journey, she eventually finds refuge in the United States, where she struggles to rebuild her life while carrying memories she cannot fully confront. Years later, Ana returns to Croatia, hoping to reconnect with her past and understand the experiences that shaped her identity. Moving between childhood and adulthood, Sara Nović explores trauma, displacement, survivor’s guilt, and the lasting psychological effects of conflict. The novel is a poignant examination of how war transforms individuals and communities, and how difficult it can be to reconcile the person one becomes with the person one once was.
Croatia 2015
8
A Brief History of Seven Killings
A Brief History of Seven Killings
Marlon James
Set primarily in Jamaica during the 1970s and extending into the 1990s, A Brief History of Seven Killings explores the political violence, gang warfare, and social upheaval surrounding the attempted assassination of reggae legend Bob Marley in 1976. Told through the perspectives of an expansive cast of characters, including gang members, journalists, politicians, and CIA operatives, the novel examines the complex relationships between crime, political power, and international interference. As the narrative moves from Kingston to the United States, it traces the long-term consequences of violence on individuals and communities. Through shifting voices, Jamaican patois, and an unflinching portrayal of historical events, Marlon James explores inequality, corruption, identity, and the lasting scars of political conflict. The novel offers a multifaceted portrait of Jamaica’s turbulent history and the human cost of violence.
Jamaica 2015
9
That Other Me
That Other Me
Maha Gargash
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.
United Arab Emirates 2016
10
The Labyrinth of the Spirits
The Labyrinth of the Spirits
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
In post-war Barcelona, where the shadows of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship linger over everyday life, a young investigator named Alicia Gris is drawn into a dangerous mystery involving one of Spain’s most powerful political figures. Working for a secretive government agency, Alicia is tasked with locating a missing minister, but what begins as a straightforward investigation soon reveals a far-reaching conspiracy involving political corruption, kidnapping, and murder. As Alicia follows the trail of clues, her investigation brings her into contact with the Sempere family, whose lives have been intertwined with the mysteries of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books for decades. Daniel Sempere, still haunted by questions surrounding his mother’s death, finds himself drawn into a final confrontation with the secrets that have shaped his family. Together, Alicia and Daniel uncover a disturbing history of violence, betrayal, and buried truths. The fourth and final novel in Zafón’s Cemetery of Forgotten Books series, The Labyrinth of the Spirits brings together characters and mysteries from the previous books in an intricate literary puzzle. Combining Gothic atmosphere, historical fiction, suspense, and a profound love of books, Zafón creates a sweeping portrait of a city haunted by its past. At its heart, the novel explores how literature preserves memory, how authoritarian power attempts to control truth, and how courage and friendship can help people emerge from the darkest chapters of history.
Spain 2016
11
Newcomers: Book One
Newcomers: Book One
Lojze Kovačič
The first volume of this three-part autobiographical series begins in 1938 with the expulsion of the Kovačič family from their home in Switzerland, eventually leading to their settlement in the father’s home country of Slovenia. Before leaving their home, the ten-year-old son of the family imagines his father’s country as one of beauty and fairytales, but as they make their way to the land of their exile, the family realizes that any efforts to make this place a home will be in vain. Confronted by misery, hunger, and hostility, the young boy refuses to learn Slovenian and falls silent, his surroundings becoming a social, cultural, and mental abyss. Narrated by the boy with uncanny naiveté, the novel follows his family’s journey in a fragmented mosaic of memories. Some are innocent and tender, while others are miserable and ruthless, resulting in a profound and heart-wrenching description of a period torn apart by conflict, reflected in the author’s powerful and innovative command of language.
Slovenia 2016
12
The Tale of Aypi
The Tale of Aypi
Ak Welsapar
On the shores of the Caspian Sea, in a small fishing village in Soviet Turkmenistan, the inhabitants face the threat of losing their ancestral home. The authorities have ordered the community to relocate so that their land can be redeveloped, while a ban on fishing threatens the villagers’ traditional way of life. Most residents reluctantly accept their fate, but Araz, a stubborn and principled fisherman, refuses to surrender the place where his family has lived for generations. As he challenges the authorities, his resistance exposes the fear, conformity, and quiet compromises that allow injustice to flourish. Woven into the contemporary struggle is the haunting legend of Aypi, a beautiful young woman who was unjustly executed centuries earlier. Her restless spirit returns to seek vengeance, linking the village’s buried past with its present crisis. Blending political allegory, folklore, and supernatural elements, Ak Welsapar’s novel explores freedom, cultural identity, and humanity’s enduring connection to the land. It is also a powerful reflection on the consequences of authoritarian rule and the courage required to resist it.
Turkmenistan 2016