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The Consequences of Love

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 250 ratings · 61 reviews

"Under the hot sun, the Jeddah streets resemble a scene from an old black and white movie: the women dressed like long, dark shadows and the men in their light cotton tunics. Naser's friends have all left town for cooler climes but he must stay behind and hold down his job at the local carwash. During his time off, he sits beneath his favourite palm tree, writing to his mo...more

346 pages

Published 2008 by Chatto & Windus

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Sep 21, 2009 Aimee rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Consequences of Love is a book about love, about political and social and cultural constraints, and the consequences of following your heart in direct conflict with those rules and constraints. The novel is set in the year 1989, in Saudi Arabia, where the women are covered head to toe in black cloth, and the men move freely in light coloured cotton through the streets. Naser, a 20 year old man, feels like an outsider. His life from a little boy has been to serve others and survive, but Naser...more The Consequences of Love is a book about love, about political and social and cultural constraints, and the consequences of following your heart in direct conflict with those rules and constraints. The novel is set in the year 1989, in Saudi Arabia, where the women are covered head to toe in black cloth, and the men move freely in light coloured cotton through the streets. Naser, a 20 year old man, feels like an outsider. His life from a little boy has been to serve others and survive, but Naser dreams of one day falling in love with a woman. This is something his peers scoff at, knowing that Naser's westernised conception of being 'free to love' does not exist in Saudi Arabia, with its arranged marriages and complete segregation of women from men. Then, one day, much like any other, a note is dropped by a woman in a tradional black abaya at Naser's feet. When Naser reads the note, his fate is sealed.

This novel is quite precious. It's unique and strange, and pretty. It's at the same time, quite dark, and swimming with youthful desire. It opened my eyes to Saudi Arabia's view on women and their inherently 'evil' natures which must be kept in check by the men. If a man falls prey to such deceitful wiles instead of staying true to his God, he will be punished, but it is the true fault of the woman and she will be punished worse. Having just been to Egypt last month, this novel resonated with me. I could smell it, I could taste it, I could feel the dust on my skin and I could see the women in their flowing darkness.
I was told that in comparison to the bulk rest of the Middle East, Egypt was westernised. Even though I was groped, stared at, offered camels for my hand in marriage no less than 13 times, and just basically made to feel like a piece of meat, I could wander though the city of Cairo in shorts and a t-shirt without getting stoned. I never wore singlets, and the shorts never came above my knee, but even that was considered provocative enough to be the centre of attention. I thought that perhaps once I got there I would wear a veil to be respectful, but in reality my open-mindedness with regard to their culture narrowed. I suddenly felt insanely proud of my Western freedom and waved it about like a flag. I decided I didn't want to wear a veil, because I felt that to wear one when I didn't believe in their culture would be more disrespectful than being categorised as a filthy Western slut.
So to have this book set in a country that was even more strict - I felt the pain of the women, and in particular, the imprisonment of this one woman wearing the pink shoes peeking out from her traditional abaya, for Naser's benefit. Naser refers to her as 'Fiore' which means flower, and we never come to learn her real name. She becomes a symbol of scent, fragility, beauty and strength in Naser's world. But Fiore is also, much of the time, a mystery.

I had a bit of a lightbulb moment with this book as well, that I didn't recognise in my time in Egypt - it's that a man living in this culture is equally as imprisoned and bound by cultural restraints. Their thoughts have to be restricted, and though they may be aroused by the mystery of what lays behind the veil, they must never act on it in fear of the whip, or even death.

The characterisation of Naser is perfect - he is a romantic, and dreams of Egyptian actresses with their sparkling eyes and generous smiles, but he is also realistic and attempts to act rationally in his protection of Fiore, knowing that they will both suffer the consequences in they are caught. It makes you feel all the more anxious as Naser becomes more and more brave (some would say stupid) in his acts of love and worship to Fiore. You *will* them not to get caught, but you can't see how they can continue on like this forever. Fiore is equally heroic, perhaps even more so, considering if caught she will be punished the most severely, and yet she takes the first step by dropping the note at Naser's feet, signalling her wish to be involved with him.

The writing in this book is wonderful: it's clean and innocent, and sweet and symbolic. Even when describing Naser's duty to provide his body to men in order to survive in a city where women are off limits, the writer weaves compassion and strength in Naser's retelling, in equal measure. Even if you are not much into learning about the culture of this world that seems so far away, but in reality is so prevalent to our own society right now, you should read this book because it is a lovely piece of literature. I'll finish with a teaser bit just so I can show you what I mean...

------'I followed her and looked down at her feet. As she walked in front of me, her shoes came and went under her black abaya. They were of a deep pink colour made of soft leather, and I could see that the leather sat comfortably around her feet, as it bent easily with every step she took. From behind her, the only thing I could see well were the medium-sized heels peeping out from under her robe. All of a sudden, the black and white set of Al-Nuzla Street was coloured. It was as if a pair of pink flamingos had arrived from a faraway tropical island.'------

It really is just gorgeous, and I urge you to read it. 4 stars for this little treasure.
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Oct 28, 2012 Emma rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: world-fiction-challenge, contemporary, middle-east, saudi-arabia, 2-stars

Browsing in the library, I was intrigued to find a book about an African immigrant in Saudi Arabia, written by an author who went through that experience himself. No doubt this is what caught the publishers’ attention as well. I don’t really blame them--exotic locales and unique experiences sell (I’m as responsible for that trend in publishing as anyone else), and so I suppose they’d be thrilled to take something like this as long as it’s minimally competent, with proper grammar and scene constr...more Browsing in the library, I was intrigued to find a book about an African immigrant in Saudi Arabia, written by an author who went through that experience himself. No doubt this is what caught the publishers’ attention as well. I don’t really blame them--exotic locales and unique experiences sell (I’m as responsible for that trend in publishing as anyone else), and so I suppose they’d be thrilled to take something like this as long as it’s minimally competent, with proper grammar and scene construction and so on. It does have that, but otherwise isn’t a novel I’d recommend.

The first-person narrator, Naser, came to Saudi Arabia as an Eritrean refugee at age 10. When the book starts, ten years later, he's alienated from his family, but has built a sort of life for himself--he has his own apartment, a job at a car wash, and friends with whom he sniffs glue and drinks perfume (um, okay) at night. But due to the strict separation between genders, he hasn't spoken to a woman in ten years, and falls head over heels the moment a veiled girl starts dropping love notes at his feet.

The relationship between Naser and the girl is at the heart of the book, and disappointed me. She's "in love" with him because of his looks; he's "in love" with her because she's available. Which could have been promising--not every fictional relationship need be a beautiful love story--except that it's never acknowledged that this relationship is founded on lust and loneliness and that the chances these two are actually compatible are slight. I'm willing to read a book about a pair of horny, repressed, desperate kids, but I want to see the actual consequences (pardon the pun) of that relationship, rather than just being told over and over that this is some earth-shaking romance.

And does this book ever tell, rather than show! I was willing to overlook some awkward exposition--"my fifty-year-old Chadian boss let me have some time off"--given that it's a first novel, but the larger problem is the constant, heavy-handed effort to manipulate readers' emotions. If you're already invested in Naser's plight, you don't need passages like (paraphrasing) "What would happen next? What would happen to me? What would happen to Fiore? Would we ever see each other again?" whenever he's in danger. And if you're not, this melodramatic filler won't do the trick. The repetitive, flatly-written, and yet overwrought detailing of emotions is equally off-putting:

"I feared going back to my lonely room. I didn't want to leave her. I wanted to be with her forever. I didn't want to let go of her pink painted nails, her parted lips. I loved looking at her eyes; the fact that one was slightly smaller than the other gave the impression than she was eternally searching for something, for her life. As I caressed her delicate lips with my finger and gazed at her wild hair, I was happy that she was my woman and I was her man. We belonged to each other, I thought. We deserved to grow old together because we had made the impossible possible. I hoped fate would be kind to us."

The characters don't get much development either. Naser starts off very sympathetic if not particularly vivid, but later veers between seeming overly sensitive and responding to obstacles with clumsy attempts to blackmail whomever gets in his way. The girl, who never gets a name--Naser dubs her "Fiore"--has little personality, to match. Everyone else is minor and one-note.

The constraints of the setting also seem to be adjusted arbitrarily as the plot requires. As an immigrant, Naser's life is precarious, and yet he has sufficient savings to quit his job and chase "Fiore" full-time for months. She can walk the streets alone to find Naser and drop him notes, but says it's too dangerous for her to bend over and pick up his. Then later, they meet in public places and go off together. And then he starts regularly visiting her house disguised as a woman. But wait: if it's inappropriate for her father, the man of the house, to see or speak to a "female" guest, then why are love affairs so difficult?--any man whose body type might pass for a woman's when shrouded from head to toe could come and go without notice. And why is Fiore's mother complicit? Few parents even in the U.S., with a completely different view of relationships, are so happy to facilitate their teenage children's having sex. Let alone with a virtual stranger and in a society where women are expected to be virginal at marriage.

The setting, though, is what saves this book from total disaster. It provides a vivid view of Saudi Arabia in the 1980s, a country as restrictive as many a dystopia. The author clearly hates that country, and I'd like to read another book by a Saudi author for an insider's view, but it's a fascinating setting nonetheless.

This is a quick, easy read, with a fairly interesting plot, and who knows, if you consider yourself a romantic, you may like it better than I did. However, I would not recommend it.(less)

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Oct 05, 2012 Mark Staniforth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sulaiman Addonia's 'The Consequences Of Love' prevails as a damning an indictment of the insane inhumanity of Saudi Wahhabism: a much-needed and utterly compelling insight into one of the most impenetrable and excrable societies on the planet.
Addonia grew up in Eritrea, from where he fled in 1976, and travelled via Sudan to Jeddah, where he studied through his teenage years. This novel is inspired by his experiences, and as such provides a valuable inside guide to the casual oppression of the Sa...more Sulaiman Addonia's 'The Consequences Of Love' prevails as a damning an indictment of the insane inhumanity of Saudi Wahhabism: a much-needed and utterly compelling insight into one of the most impenetrable and excrable societies on the planet.
Addonia grew up in Eritrea, from where he fled in 1976, and travelled via Sudan to Jeddah, where he studied through his teenage years. This novel is inspired by his experiences, and as such provides a valuable inside guide to the casual oppression of the Saudi regime, and the deep souls that exist in the minds of young men and beneath the burkas of the women with whom they are forbidden to communicate, yet clasp the kind of hope no amount of punishment can capture.
Feared religious police cruise Al-Nuzla street in tinted pick-ups, keen to contrive any breach of doctrine. Under the unrelenting sun, the street is bleached of humanity and emotion. This is a paranoid world in which a boy is arrested for wearing American sunglasses, which it is claimed have special powers to see under girls' abayas; where low-level foreign workers are effectively held hostage by their kafeels, or sponsors, who dictate the terms of their residency permits: terms which routinely and relatively openly include the requirement to help satiate forbidden desires.
It is a world in which imams spout hate and demand the stoning to death of women who commit adultery, yet whose laws are so arbitrary and hypocritical that even the religious police themselves hide dirty secrets, and which are applied 'only to the poor and to foreigners, not to the rich or the royal family.'
Like Addonia, Naser, the novel's twenty-year-old main character, has emigrated from his war-torn homeland in search of work. His aimless days washing cars and searching out secret places to sniff glue and drink perfume are abruptly altered when a fully-veiled woman scuttles past and throws a love letter in his lap. As the letters continue, he learns to recognise his admirer by the pink shoes she wears beneath her burka - themselves a significant expression of rebellion in such a black and white society - and the pair gradually contrive ingenious ways to allow their nascent affair to develop.
Addonia's prose is immediate and straight-forward, unencumbered by much back-story or unnecessary introspection, and it is its simplicity that makes it so compelling. He is adept at balancing the beauty of the burgeoning affair with reminders of the extraordinary risks they are taking in order to pursue it. As those risks increase, the apparent futility of their relationship impels the pair to consider the ultimate possibility of escape.
'The Consequences Of Love' retains at its core a rich, moving love story, not much different to so many other tales of forbidden trysts. But Addonia succeeds in displaying the full glory of their relationship without diluting his central indictment of a regime whose twisted values have bled it dry of anything approaching humanity.
It is a gripping, thought-provoking and topical novel, highly recommended to anyone interested in peeping under the veil of Saudi culture. I'm frankly surprised it doesn't come with a list of literary prizes on its sleeve.(less)

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Sep 04, 2011 Parita rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Its taken me a while to finish this one - and even now, I cant decide whether I like it. Considering that it was a debut novel, I am happy to give it 3 stars.

This is a story of love supressed in a male dominated regime. In jeddah, pre-marital love is a sin. Yet 2 kindred spirits dare to rebel. Silently, from behind veils and closed doors, they express their love for each other, first through notes and then in hushed whisper. But how long can they go on like this in secret?

This was an interesti...more

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Nov 30, 2009 Shari rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this was a remarkable book. Naser is an Eritrean (Ethiopian) refugee who ends up in Muslim controlled Saudi Arabia. As a refugee Naser is forced to endure sexual abuse by his employers, sponsors and supposed friends – all men who turn to boys due to the controls imposed against relations between men and women by the controlling fanatical Imams and religious police. Against all odds Naser begins a relationship with a daring woman, known only to him by her pink shoes, worn under her head...more

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Mar 27, 2009 Virginia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Once i started this book, i couldn't put it down anymore. The central love story is gripping, sensual, dangerous and makes your heart beat. All what you need from a great novel! The focus is on Naser and Fiore, who live in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and because they are not married are not allowed to meet in public under the strict Wahhabi regime of Saudi Arabia. While the story is thriving, many other aspects are highlighted - like the situation of immigrants in Saudi (Naser is a refugee from Eritre...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Shirley Freeman added it · review of another edition

Wow - this was intense. Like The Kiterunner, I had to put it down for awhile part-way through but I'm glad I picked it up again. As children, both the author and the novel's main character moved from a refugee camp in the Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The novel tells the story of forbidden love between the refugee and a young woman completely veiled and identifiable only by her pink shoes. The description of the warped culture which develops when a society chooses to keep color, beauty, softnes...more

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Mar 02, 2012 Nike Marshall rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think this is one of the best love stories I have ever experienced. I purchased this title as an audio book on a whim and I'm so glad I did! The pace of the story was slow and deliberate, but this story of forbidden love required careful language. The story takes place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the Religious Police enforce Islamic law with an iron fist. Sulaiman Addonia, reveals a world that is staunch and rigid, and weaves a tale of danger and hope. I don't want to give away too much, bu...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Jeannie Mancini rated it 5 of 5 stars

Reading The Consequences of Love by new Eritrean author Sulaiman Addonia literally stopped my heart and took my breath away. Addonia delivers a very personal and inside view of a society filled with both religious and governmental repression, a world where love is a luxury, passion forbidden, sex a crime.

Set in present day Saudi Arabia, this is a gorgeous literary debut not to be overlooked. Consequences of Love weaves a story of sensuous secret liaisons between two lovers risking their lives t...more Reading The Consequences of Love by new Eritrean author Sulaiman Addonia literally stopped my heart and took my breath away. Addonia delivers a very personal and inside view of a society filled with both religious and governmental repression, a world where love is a luxury, passion forbidden, sex a crime.

Set in present day Saudi Arabia, this is a gorgeous literary debut not to be overlooked. Consequences of Love weaves a story of sensuous secret liaisons between two lovers risking their lives to keep their flame burning, so that one day they may be free from religious tyranny and laws that prevent unwed people to display their love openly. Fiore is a stunning 19-year-old Eritrean woman with long luscious dark hair falling to her waist, she captivates with the mysterious almond eyes of a doe. One day while out shopping she notices a handsome young man named Naser, and from that day on, for Fiore, it is love at first sight. Muslim law states that no unwed man or woman may glance, speak to, or touch a member of the opposite sex or harsh punishment will be issued. Young lovers caught, suffer the pain of disfigurement, stoning, brutal public lashings, imprisonment and eventually death by beheading. Religious police canvas streets day and night searching for offenders. In Saudi Arabia, matches are made ONLY through an arranged marriage, or, a man must be wealthy enough to purchase a bride, paying dowry prices that are beyond affordable. With most Muslim men financially unable to afford a wife, they often resort to the two remaining options of sodomy or becoming a member of the religious order. The author gives the reader an up front and close encounter of both these scenarios, enabling all of us born in other countries to be grateful we have not been exposed to such brutality, or have lived in such a harsh environment devoid of free thought, expression, or love.

One afternoon while Naser sits under a tree watching the world go by, a woman dressed in a full black burqa strolls by and drops a note at his feet. Quickly scurrying to hide and read it, he opens it to reveal that this mystery woman finds him attractive and invites him to respond. Note dropping is the mode of operation regarding secret communication amongst young men and women in Saudi Arabia, however it is also considered a punishable crime. With this one yellow note, begins the journey of forbidden passion that will beckon these two people to each other's hearts and dreams. Naser and Fiore's risky relationship brings courage and devotion to their cause, as they both have lived their entire lives wondering why they were born to such misery and restraint, both always yearning for more. The two use their imagination and ingenuity to find ways to communicate and meet, embracing with their eyes only as Fiore is completely covered by abaya and veil. Through clandestine seaside rendezvous' and secret letters transferred by a creative courier service, Naser and Fiore throw caution to the wind as they plot and maneuver a way to follow their hearts out of repression and a fanatical religious world that keeps their hearts imprisoned. To escape those hell-bent on catching them in their sinful acts, to run from the police who track them like bloodhounds sniffing their scent into entrapment, the two lovers whisper in the dark, disguise themselves in plain sight, and pray to Allah they can outwit and win. Cloaking their identities to those they fear, Fiore buys brightly colored pink shoes for Naser to pick her out in a crowd, Naser dresses as a woman to parade right in front of her father undetected. Friends help, friends betray, and the stakes get raised as they play the game and gamble.

The love between Fiore and Naser is refreshingly innocent and sweet. The author's presentation and writing skills offer the reader a poetic and romantic atmosphere of forbidden love that is sensual, sexy, and evocative of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This novel is elegant in presentation, beautifully written with so much depth of emotion as Addonia breathes tension, fear, laughter, love and erotica to well crafted scenes gracing every chapter of this sensational debut. Every page a masterpiece, the author shows wondrous talent to pen a literary page-turner you can't put down. I read this book in one sitting. As I turned each page I was on the edge of my seat not breathing, so filled with the wonder of Naser and Fiore's devotion, and so wrought with fear knowing what the outcome would be if they were caught. Someone ought to vote this novel in for a Pulitzer, it's that sensational! Don't miss this intoxicating novel.
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Nov 20, 2009 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Sara by: Bee

Shelves: 2009, adult-fiction

4.5 stars. Set in Saudi Arabia, The Consequences of Love tells the story of a young immigrant from Eritrea who falls in love with a veiled woman who tosses a note at him one day. Though he's never seen her face, or even seen any woman for ten years since arriving in the country, he falls in love with her, communicating only through notes. The setting makes the story all the more interesting, since it shows so much hypocrisy in the laws and religious dictations made by people, and the consequence...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Mirjam Buttner rated it 4 of 5 stars

This novel describes a reality completely different from our own, going on right now in our time but in a different part of the world. It gives you a peek into a world where all the rules and values are different and where some of the desires we barely notice appear as intense because they are in no way gratified. The entire novel is full of tension, you constantly feel the danger oppressing the protagonists attempt to have what in our lives is mundane but from his perspective is paradise.

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Apr 23, 2013 Vanessa rated it 3 of 5 stars

The story has potential, describing an illicit love affair between a young man and woman in Muslim Saudi Arabia. It casts an interesting light on their society- such as the exploitation of young boys in a world that forbids unmarried men and women to be seen together. It also touches on how the Qur'an has been misinterpreted in Sharia law, but I think it could have delved a lot further into the failings of such a society.
Over all a good read, but the style of writing didn't capture my interest a...more

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Jun 27, 2010 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another story based in the Islamic world - this one a romance in Saudi Arabia. I wouldn't have believed half of what the author writes when describing life in Saudi Arabia had I not heard similar stories from my Saudi students. Tragic, but with glimpses of hope. For awhile, I thought the author was going for a happily-ever-after ending, but was pleased to read a more realistic ending - slightly hopeful, though, and not completing depressing.

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Apr 24, 2011 Dem rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a love story set around the middle east, had read Finding Noufa couple of months ago and found it a much better read. The Consequences of Love: A Novel is a slow book to get into and a little depressing although it is a good insight into the Saudi culture, Not one of my favourite books and was glad to finish it.

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Oct 08, 2009 Tyler Wells rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ummmm....disturbing, oppressive, hypocritical, sick. Wondering how much truth there is to the story and the acts that take place in it. I know so little about our Saudi allies and their seemingly oppressive culture but if there is even a glimmer of truth to this. It's sad and disgusting....what a rotten interpretation of the Koran. Just to clarify I'm not talking about the writer or the writing itself just what takes place in the story..

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Jul 27, 2011 Amy Warrick rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

oh bleah. I have read lots of books that require I suspend disbelief - or accept a different world - but this one just doesn't work. I'm sure it's all true to life and all that, but I couldn't muster up a bit of feeling for these people - not because the characters are unpleasant, but because the author is lousy. No stars. Don't bother.

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Nov 26, 2012 Natalie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

Iako je ljubav okosnica priče, srž knjige "Posljedice ljubavi" Sulaimana Addonie jest život eritrejskog emigranta (i ostalih emigranata) u Saudijskoj Arabiji 80-tih i 90-tih godina prošlog stoljeća. Dvadeseto i dvadesetiprvo stoljeće, a žene su i dalje samo lelujave sjenke, sjenke u svakom pogledu. Homoseksualizam, podvođenje dječaka i njihovo poniženje tolerirano je pod "budnim" očima vjerske policije, dok je kamenovanje preljubnika pa i onih koji to nisu, normalna, čak tražena i priželjkivana...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Millicentlydia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels

A fascinating glimpse of an Eritrean immigrant into Saudi culture. The only way he can pursue his true love is by pretending to be a woman and visiting her under the cover of a burqa, and by sacrificing himself to the wealthy and powerful Saudis who are his employers and the religious police.

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Oct 27, 2012 Christoph Fischer rated it 4 of 5 stars

A beautiful book about an African immigrant worker in Saudi Arabia and how his survival as a love toy for unmarried men turns around as he falls in love. A sweet story well told with a lot of insights into life controlled by religious police and the way its citizens try to cope.

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Aug 01, 2010 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

How does a refuge in Saudi Arabia find a wife? When finding a wife means having parents who are Saudi citizens with money and connections. This young man has none of that and dreams of a day he can actually look at a woman's face. Instead he is banned from even talking to one...until one day a note drops at his feet. A turbulent affair begins and the couple is not safe.
An amazing story of how difficult Saudi laws make it for young adults to find love. Also interesting how homosexual relationshi...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Jeet rated it 3 of 5 stars

I did enjoy it...but sometimes felt it dragged on....but I did enjoy reading and looked forward to picking it up...thought it would be more to the story and more events in the book, but there wasn't, but it was worth a read:)

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Jun 04, 2011 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars

A saudi romance that shows how much people are willing to risk in the name of love. I also liked that the book sheds light on the corrupt, perverted and un-islamic lives the enforcers of the law actually hold.

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Jul 22, 2010 Joanne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, library-book

This was a beautifully written book about the challenges young people face in Saudi. I felt like the book really didn't pick up speed until the final part. Although I liked the characters, I just didn't fall in love with the story.

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Aug 13, 2009 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I devoured this book. I had never thought about the implications on young mens development when they grow up never setting eyes on women in Saudi Arabia (or in any muslim society I guess). Bizarre and sad really./

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Oct 24, 2010 Leona Sheehy rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a beautiful, beautiful book detailing the struggle young couples face in Saudi Arabia. The writing is lyrical and while telling a strong, sometimes distressing, story it carries us with it towards its emotional conclusion.

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May 18, 2013 Ilonita50 rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've heard a lot of bad info abt Saudi Arabia and this book was an extra piece to it..If the story is close to truth..its absurd whats going on and Allah's interpretation in Saudi Arabia is simply unbelievable.

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Aug 31, 2012 Mathew White rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hmm... I read this book a while ago, and really enjoyed it. Have shared it with others, but wanted to include it on my list here of recommended reads.

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Feb 20, 2011 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gelezen in het Nederlands Als gevolg van liefde.
Indrukwekkend boek over de manier van leven tussen mannen en vrouwen in Saodi-Arabie. En de liefde natuurlijk

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Jan 04, 2010 Katy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It took me a LONG time (100+ pages) to get into this book. I almost just dropped it 2-3 times. Once I got into the story, I couldn't put it down! However, that part quickly ended and it the story was over. Interesting though to look into such a limited life and amazing how this particular man and woman played the system in order to have a relationship.

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Oct 06, 2009 Mikaila Thurgood rated it 5 of 5 stars

An absolutely beautiful love story, that showcases the triumph of love through gender segregation and religious oppression in Saudi Arabia.

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About Sulaiman Addonia

Sulaiman S.M.Y. Addonia is an author residing in London. He was born as the son of an Eritrean mother and an Ethiopian father in Eritrea. He spent his early life in a refugee camp in Sudan, following the Om Hajar massacre in 1976. In his early teens, he lived and studied in Saudi Arabia. He sought the asylum with his brother in London in 1990, and studied at the University College London.

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3672334-the-consequences-of-love?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331142275l/3672334.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3672334-the-consequences-of-love?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Consequences of Love by Sulaiman Addonia[/url]

The Consequences of Love

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