Kingdom of Strangers (44 page)
Read Kingdom of Strangers Online
Authors: Zoë Ferraris
Tags: #Mystery, #Religion, #Contemporary, #Adult
“Beautifully crafted…. With intelligence, patience, and meticulous detail, Ferraris evokes a complex culture profoundly ambivalent about female power.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Ferraris works her magic again in
Kingdom of Strangers
…. She writes brilliantly of the claustrophobia and frustrations, as well as the growing pride of modern, working Saudi women….
Kingdom of Strangers
, like
Finding Nouf
and
City of Veils
before it, is an excellent, exotic mystery. Well worth the read.”
—Dave Biemann,
MysteryOne.com
“Any suspense novel immersed in another culture, particularly a secretive one, is just that much more interesting, and Ferraris, who previously lived in Saudi Arabia, expertly mines her locale for tantalizing details.”
—Sherryl Connelly,
New York Daily News
“Accomplished prose, an intricate mystery, and insider Saudi scoop make for an unusual and winning combination.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
“A fascinating glimpse into the veiled world of Saudi Arabian crime, justice, and women by the award-winning San Francisco writer, a former resident of the desert kingdom…. Not your average serial-killer hunt, this one rings with pathos and authenticity.”
—John Sullivan,
Winnipeg Free Press
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LOSSARY
abaaya
—a long, loose black cloak worn by women in Saudi Arabia
adhan
—the Islamic call to prayer recited by a muezzin
ahlan biik
—“and welcome to you”
ahlan wa’sahlan
—“welcome” (hard to translate—loosely it’s something like “family and familiar comforts”)
al-Balad
—a historic neighborhood in downtown Jeddah
alhamdulillah
—“thanks be to God”
ar-ruqyah ash-shar’eeya
—a type of spiritual healing, similar to exorcism (“an incantation of Sharia”)
Bism’allah, ar-rahman, ar-rahim
—“In the name of Allah, most gracious, most merciful,” the opening phrase of a Muslim prayer
boofiya
—a small café and bodega
burqa
(also
niqab
)—in the Gulf countries,
burqa or niqab
refers to a veil that covers a woman’s face; not to be confused with the enveloping outer garment, also called a burqa, worn by women in other Muslim countries
dhuhr
—the second of the five daily Muslim prayers, occurring just after noon
djinn
—plural genies
djinni
—a single genie
du’a
—an invocation or prayer to express submission to God or to ask for assistance
efreet
—a supernatural creature similar to a
djinni
, usually malicious
fajr
—the first of the five daily Muslim prayers, occurring just before sunrise
fatwa
—a religious opinion or edict issued by a Muslim cleric
ghutra
—a cotton headscarf made of a large square of fabric and worn by men
Hadith
—the collected narratives about the prophet Mohammed
Hajj
—the pilgrimage to Mecca
halal
—kosher, permissible by Islamic law
halala
—a small unit of currency in Saudi Arabia, one-hundredth of a Saudi riyal
halawa
(also
halva
)—various types of confections, commonly a tahini-based, crumbly paste made with pistachios
hookah
(also
shisha
)—a water pipe used for smoking tobacco
insha’allah
—“God willing”
‘iqal
—a loop of black cord used to fix the male headscarf (
ghutra
) onto the head
isha’
—the fifth of the five daily Muslim prayers
istiqara
—a type of prayer that asks for guidance in difficult matters
Jahannam
—the Islamic concept of hell
jihad
—a war or battle waged in the name of religious duty, also a personal struggle in the name of spiritual development
Kaaba
—the black monument in the center of the holy mosque, the Masjid al-Haram, in Mecca
karkadé
—dried hibiscus flower, used for dyeing things a bright purplish red
la hawla walla kuwata illa billa
—“there is no strength or power but Allah”
Mabahith
—the secret police of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of the Interior
maghrib
—the fourth of the five Muslim daily prayers, occurring just after sunset
majlis
—literally “a place of sitting”; any gathering place, typically a living room or an assembly hall
masa’ al-khayr
—“good evening”
mash’allah
—a phrase that serves to express praise or happiness for someone or something (“God has willed it”)
mehram
—a man with whom a woman is allowed to associate in strict interpretations of Islam, i.e., her father, brother, husband, or son
misyar
—a marriage institution in Islam whereby a man can have a wife without financial responsibility
muezzin
—a man who leads the call to prayer at a mosque
mujahideen
—freedom fighters
Mukhabarat
—the primary intelligence agency of Saudi Arabia
mutaween
—plural of
mutawwa
, religious policemen from the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Saudi Arabia (also called
hay’ah
, or the “commission”)
na’uzhu bi Allah
—“we seek refuge in God”
niqab
—(see
burqa
) a black veil that covers the face, worn by women
sabah al-khayr
—“good morning”
sa’eeda
—madame
salaam aleikum
—a greeting, literally “peace be with you”
salaam aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu
—“may the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be with you”
Sambooli
—a type of sandwich usually consisting of eggs and shrimp
shaytan
—a kind of evil genie (plural
shayateen
)
shisha
—can refer to a hookah pipe or to the molasses-based tobacco that is smoked in it
souq
—an outdoor market, any commercial marketplace
subhan’allah
—“glory be to God”
zakat
—the practice of giving a donation to charity based on a portion of your wealth
Zoë Ferraris’s playlist for Kingdom of Strangers
Questions and topics for discussion
Praise for Zoë Ferraris’s Kingdom of Strangers
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright © 2012 by Zoë Ferraris
Cover design by Kapo Ng
Cover photograph by Matilde Gattoni / Getty Images
Cover copyright © 2013 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Reading group guide copyright © 2013 by Zoë Ferraris and Little, Brown and Company
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at
[email protected]
. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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First ebook edition: June 2012
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ISBN: 978-0-316-20176-6