CELESTIAL BODIES: JOKHA ALHARTHI

This book is full of so much charm, a perfect blend of surrealism and wit. It’s decadent, it’s layered, dense and frankly hard work. Jokha makes no attempt to introduce Omani culture softly, or piecemeal; it’s a full-on immersion. To be brutally honest, it took me a while to come to grips with the characters and work my way around the labyrinth of words.

It captures moments in time, spread over stretches of time. It ebbs and flows, very unpredictably. It’s a very jagged way of storytelling, that requires ALL your attention. One tip: keep the genealogy page VERY close. History is the thread that weaves the story and characters together. But this book is really about Omani women, who are very much in charge. Jokha writes so protectively, delicately and poetically.

She writes about women who are outwardly agents of their own destiny and about women who are quietly and neatly defiant. Jokha tells us that you can’t define an Omani woman. You don’t even know who she is.

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