Women & Society — The Book Roads

Daughters of the Same Secret

Haneen Al-Sayegh

In a secluded Druze village in Lebanon’s Mount Lebanon mountains, Amal dreams of a life beyond the boundaries her family and community have drawn for her. Her father, a religious shaykh and blacksmith, believes he has the right to shape the futures of his four daughters. But Amal longs to pursue higher education and study English literature at the American University of Beirut. When a wealthy local businessman offers her a possible way out, she makes a bargain that promises freedom but brings new complications. As marriage, motherhood, and social expectations threaten to consume her ambitions, Amal must find the courage to claim ownership of her life. Poetic and deeply moving, this novel explores the hidden struggles of women caught between tradition and independence, revealing the quiet acts of resistance that can transform generations.

Lebanon 2026