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The Ruins of Us

Questions About The Ruins of Us

by Keija Parssinen

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Answered Questions (1)

Are there any reviews by practicing Muslims? Or by readers who have lived in Saudi (not just westerners who lived in enclosed compounds and who had little real interaction with the culture/people)? I'd like to red something realistic, not something that plays on stereotypes (like a modern/Arab version of the book "So Long a Letter").
Amy I read this book after reading a positive review of it on the blog of an American expat who was married to a Saudi and lived in KSA (American Bedu). I…moreI read this book after reading a positive review of it on the blog of an American expat who was married to a Saudi and lived in KSA (American Bedu). I have never lived in KSA, but I have been fascinated by it and have studied it for years, and I think this book and Girls of Riyadh are the two most accurate depictions of the culture in fiction. It's been a few years since I've read The Ruins of Us, but I don't remember any glaring errors about the culture or about Islam. There is a plotline about a character getting involved with a fundamentalist movement, but it's handled well and respectfully, in my opinion (No overgeneralizing, nothing offensive to Islam).

This is head and shoulders above, for example, Zoe Ferraris books, which are so chock full of inaccuracies, like really, really basic things, that I couldn't get past page two. You can tell she never left the compound during her time in KSA.

I think it's worth a read! :)(less)
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