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Yummah
Khadeeja is a child who is forced into womanhood early. She is compelled to marry a man much older than she through arranged marriage and lives a world of hardships from then on. Her mother dies soon after her wedding, leaving her with a husband she hardly knows and two brothers she knows nothing of. Khadeeja learns to love her husband and win his love in return, but just as she thought her life was a beautiful love story her precious son dies from a scorpion bite. Grief and sadness become her new best friends. Her husband, whom she can't live without, abandons her without warning and she is left to raise and support eight children while pregnant with the ninth. Her brother, who finds out about his sister's misfortune and the truth behind his brother-in-law's actions, returns to Bahrain to take care of Khadeeja, but when he finds out about his cheating wife falls ill with sadness and grief and soon dies. Khadeeja forces herself to survive with the faith and patience she has inherited from her late mother and faces life's war with strength, courage and pride. She grows with her children; she grows with time; she grows with history - her country's history. She succeeds in raising wonderful children who go through their own share of happiness and misfortune. Her husband, who married another woman for money, returns filled with regret and in a wheelchair. Though Khadeeja was hurt and angry she opens her arms for him with love and forgiveness, but watching him die in her arms takes her back in time as she goes through the grief all over again. As a great-grandmother Khadeeja sits back to watch her triumph, her success and dies with dignity, leaving behind a legend to be remembered by many.
192 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2005
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About the author
Sarah A. Al Shafei
1 book6 followersSarah Al Shafai comes from an island in the Middle East known as the Kingdom of Bahrain. She studied in Boston and Miami and graduated with a BA in Liberal Arts. She is a constant traveller and enjoys writing short stories and poetry at the same time. She is a monthly correspondent in a local English women's magazine where she writes about real life stories in the Arab world. Yummah is her first novel. She is a twenty-four-year-old housewife and currently lives with her husband, Mohammed, and her two daughters, Noor and Dana, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 27, 2020
This is not bad by the standards of self-published books, but there isn’t much to recommend it unless you happen to be seeking a book set in Bahrain; it is currently the most popular book on Goodreads (admittedly, an English language-dominated site) set in that country. Titled “Yummah,” a word used in the book to mean “grandmother,” it seems to be the fictionalized life story of the author’s grandmother – a conclusion supported by the fact that toward the end, a favorite granddaughter appears who, like the author, is named Sarah, goes to college in Boston, and moves to Saudi Arabia for marriage.
The book begins sometime in the mid 20th century, and spans the time period from British colonial rule of Bahrain, to the country’s independence in 1971, the First Gulf War, and the beginning of the 21st century. It is narrated by a woman named Khadeeja and focuses on the domestic dramas of her own and her children’s lives. Khadeeja is married off at age 12, loses several people she loves and is abandoned by her otherwise apparently perfect husband as a pregnant mother of eight, but overcomes adversity and sees her children find love and success.
It’s a quick read, and the story moves briskly, covering an entire lifetime in fewer than 200 pages. It does suffer from several drawbacks, however. Khadeeja narrates the story in first person (except for a few brief sections told in third person from someone else’s perspective), and her perspective is not particularly nuanced; she romanticizes child marriage and makes sweeping statements like “in my days the twelve-year-olds were still innocent, their eyes still had their childish sparkle and their hearts were pure as angels’,” or, on the day of Bahrain’s independence, “there wasn’t a single soul on the island of Bahrain who wasn’t happy.”
She’s also a heavily romanticized character herself, with no apparent flaws, and called an angel even by her ex-husband, who is similarly romanticized despite his abandonment of his pregnant wife and eight kids. (I can sympathize with his shame at losing his job and his initial decision to flee, but to never send for them or even send money once he’s back on his feet – when they’re on the verge of eviction and the older kids are leaving school to support the family – did not seem nearly so forgivable to me as it was to every character in this book. That said, my guess is that this book is based on the author’s grandmother’s life, and if this is treated as a great love story in her family, well, at least it’s authentic I suppose.)
Beyond that, there are problems one expects from a self-published book. It appears to have been copyedited by spellcheck, given the number of misused words. For the most part, the author’s English seems fluent, but she struggles with prepositions (Khadeeja is concerned about someone’s “desire in revenge”; a character comments that “life has been cruel on you”), the occasional word is jarring to the English-speaking reader (the dialogue tag “screamed” is overused, including even for a polite greeting at one point), and there are some run-on sentences and some passages which lapse into the present tense although most of the book is in the past tense. Meanwhile, I was never sure whether the seeming expansion of the age gaps between Khadeeja’s children (all nine born within eleven or twelve years) was a continuity error, or whether society really was changing so rapidly that the middle and younger children wind up seeming a full generation younger than their older siblings.
All in all, this was a quick and painless read, especially since my expectations for a self-published book were so low. It’s not one I would recommend on its literary merits, but it’s a perfectly decent choice for those looking for a story set in Bahrain.
The book begins sometime in the mid 20th century, and spans the time period from British colonial rule of Bahrain, to the country’s independence in 1971, the First Gulf War, and the beginning of the 21st century. It is narrated by a woman named Khadeeja and focuses on the domestic dramas of her own and her children’s lives. Khadeeja is married off at age 12, loses several people she loves and is abandoned by her otherwise apparently perfect husband as a pregnant mother of eight, but overcomes adversity and sees her children find love and success.
It’s a quick read, and the story moves briskly, covering an entire lifetime in fewer than 200 pages. It does suffer from several drawbacks, however. Khadeeja narrates the story in first person (except for a few brief sections told in third person from someone else’s perspective), and her perspective is not particularly nuanced; she romanticizes child marriage and makes sweeping statements like “in my days the twelve-year-olds were still innocent, their eyes still had their childish sparkle and their hearts were pure as angels’,” or, on the day of Bahrain’s independence, “there wasn’t a single soul on the island of Bahrain who wasn’t happy.”
She’s also a heavily romanticized character herself, with no apparent flaws, and called an angel even by her ex-husband, who is similarly romanticized despite his abandonment of his pregnant wife and eight kids. (I can sympathize with his shame at losing his job and his initial decision to flee, but to never send for them or even send money once he’s back on his feet – when they’re on the verge of eviction and the older kids are leaving school to support the family – did not seem nearly so forgivable to me as it was to every character in this book. That said, my guess is that this book is based on the author’s grandmother’s life, and if this is treated as a great love story in her family, well, at least it’s authentic I suppose.)
Beyond that, there are problems one expects from a self-published book. It appears to have been copyedited by spellcheck, given the number of misused words. For the most part, the author’s English seems fluent, but she struggles with prepositions (Khadeeja is concerned about someone’s “desire in revenge”; a character comments that “life has been cruel on you”), the occasional word is jarring to the English-speaking reader (the dialogue tag “screamed” is overused, including even for a polite greeting at one point), and there are some run-on sentences and some passages which lapse into the present tense although most of the book is in the past tense. Meanwhile, I was never sure whether the seeming expansion of the age gaps between Khadeeja’s children (all nine born within eleven or twelve years) was a continuity error, or whether society really was changing so rapidly that the middle and younger children wind up seeming a full generation younger than their older siblings.
All in all, this was a quick and painless read, especially since my expectations for a self-published book were so low. It’s not one I would recommend on its literary merits, but it’s a perfectly decent choice for those looking for a story set in Bahrain.
July 20, 2021
I don’t know how to rate this one. There is such a cultural gap. It is as if my American criteria don’t work, and I don’t have any Bahraini criteria to use. In the end, I’ve assigned a number roughly based on how much the book kept me engaged and how much I feel my world has been expanded by reading it. I’m glad it is available for American readers to experience.
August 26, 2019
2.5 stars
This was my read the world selection for Bahrain.
This book follows the life of Khadeeja who is forced into an arranged marriage at 12 years old to Mohammed, a man several years older than her. While she is pregnant with their ninth child, the seemingly perfect Mohammed abandons his wife and children and disappears without a word and Khadeeja is faced with raising her nine children alone.
Whilst I appreciated the author’s heartfelt writing and clear passion for this story, I was pretty irritated with this book for a number of reasons:
1. The book has not been edited very well and there are many incorrect prepositions used.
2. It seems the author is not clear on what the word “shout” means. Everyone “shouted” at each other....even apparently during polite conversation. I could have ignored both of these points, if not for the further points.
3. Arranged marriages at 12 years old were romanticized. In fact, most things were romanticized. Even the “perfect husband” Mohammed leaving without a word was somehow romanticized. The “excuse” given later for his desertion I thought was pretty weak, however no one in the book (the family) seemed greatly perturbed by it. In fact, it only seemed to somehow add to their romantic notions, which totally baffled me.
4. Everyone in Khadeeja’s immediate family and in particular Khadeeja herself, were “perfect” and “angels”. Men outside of the family circle were all “kind” and “wise”. However all of the women outside the immediate family were “mean”, “manipulative” and were cheating on their husbands. Coming from a female author, I found this very disheartening and disappointing that women were portrayed this way.
5. The bit that made me 🙄🙄 (eye roll) so hard was when Khadeeja was having a conversation with (I think) one of her children and saying that they had their father’s wisdom.....ah yes, nothing screams wisdom like abandoning your wife and nine children without a word while you go off and look after your own interests, with no regard for how they are surviving!
The ending of the book (including the lead up to the end....no spoilers!) was also irritating. I could see what was coming and 🙄🙄 (eye rolls) some more at how “perfect” and “romantic” it all was.
I’ve rated this ⭐️⭐️.5 out of 5 as it is easy to read and gives the reader a glimpse into Bahraini culture over a few generations.
This was my read the world selection for Bahrain.
This book follows the life of Khadeeja who is forced into an arranged marriage at 12 years old to Mohammed, a man several years older than her. While she is pregnant with their ninth child, the seemingly perfect Mohammed abandons his wife and children and disappears without a word and Khadeeja is faced with raising her nine children alone.
Whilst I appreciated the author’s heartfelt writing and clear passion for this story, I was pretty irritated with this book for a number of reasons:
1. The book has not been edited very well and there are many incorrect prepositions used.
2. It seems the author is not clear on what the word “shout” means. Everyone “shouted” at each other....even apparently during polite conversation. I could have ignored both of these points, if not for the further points.
3. Arranged marriages at 12 years old were romanticized. In fact, most things were romanticized. Even the “perfect husband” Mohammed leaving without a word was somehow romanticized. The “excuse” given later for his desertion I thought was pretty weak, however no one in the book (the family) seemed greatly perturbed by it. In fact, it only seemed to somehow add to their romantic notions, which totally baffled me.
4. Everyone in Khadeeja’s immediate family and in particular Khadeeja herself, were “perfect” and “angels”. Men outside of the family circle were all “kind” and “wise”. However all of the women outside the immediate family were “mean”, “manipulative” and were cheating on their husbands. Coming from a female author, I found this very disheartening and disappointing that women were portrayed this way.
5. The bit that made me 🙄🙄 (eye roll) so hard was when Khadeeja was having a conversation with (I think) one of her children and saying that they had their father’s wisdom.....ah yes, nothing screams wisdom like abandoning your wife and nine children without a word while you go off and look after your own interests, with no regard for how they are surviving!
The ending of the book (including the lead up to the end....no spoilers!) was also irritating. I could see what was coming and 🙄🙄 (eye rolls) some more at how “perfect” and “romantic” it all was.
I’ve rated this ⭐️⭐️.5 out of 5 as it is easy to read and gives the reader a glimpse into Bahraini culture over a few generations.
October 25, 2021
This book was easy reading enough, but it felt like propaganda romanticizing being a “good Muslim woman”, making it sound like a dream to be a child bride at 12 and that if you’re faithful even when your husband walks out on you and your nine children to marry a richer woman and start a new family… Allah will reward your celibacy while he is gone and forgiving heart when he returns by having him return to you when he is old and crippled so he can die in your arms? It read like a soap opera written by a ten year old. Just not impressed. The characters were not well developed, problems were solved in a flash, characters worked through deep emotions even quicker. Perhaps a lot was lost in translation, but the writing just felt immature and underdeveloped.
July 20, 2021
Read Around the World: Bahrain
January 10, 2024
#readtheworld Bahrain
No character development, grammatical errors, predictable, trite, terrible.
No character development, grammatical errors, predictable, trite, terrible.
May 17, 2024
Can’t believe a woman wrote this bs
March 14, 2022
Read around the world project - Bahrain
I feel bad giving this a low rating, especially because it seems partially biographical, but I didn't enjoy my time reading Yummah. When it began with the marriage of a 12 year old, I thought the naïveté of the narration and writing seemed appropriate. As our main character aged, I realized that this voice was inherent to Shafei's writing, and not part of the characterization. I felt like many of the people mentioned (all family members) were painted as "perfect", "angels" and unflawed - yet the "other" women were always adulterous and conniving. The story arc also isn't super engrossing - this basically covers the life of our main character, but that doesn't always translate into appropriate pacing and arc of a storyline.
If you're doing an around the world challenge like I am, it's a quick read and does give a small snapshot into life in Bahrain, but otherwise I'd likely pass.
I feel bad giving this a low rating, especially because it seems partially biographical, but I didn't enjoy my time reading Yummah. When it began with the marriage of a 12 year old, I thought the naïveté of the narration and writing seemed appropriate. As our main character aged, I realized that this voice was inherent to Shafei's writing, and not part of the characterization. I felt like many of the people mentioned (all family members) were painted as "perfect", "angels" and unflawed - yet the "other" women were always adulterous and conniving. The story arc also isn't super engrossing - this basically covers the life of our main character, but that doesn't always translate into appropriate pacing and arc of a storyline.
If you're doing an around the world challenge like I am, it's a quick read and does give a small snapshot into life in Bahrain, but otherwise I'd likely pass.
August 27, 2022
The story of this book was good, however, I had to disregard many other issues in order to stay in sync with it. It started off with many grammatical errors despite it decreasing later on in the novel, it affected the narrative overall. There were redundant phrases that made some parts of the story seem dragged on. I believe the book could have been shorter, a lot shorter than 190 pages. There was no shock factor or suspense in it; maybe because the whole story was already written *on the back of the book*. 🙃
When I read a book, I expect to read something that I can’t write, produce, something that won’t even cross anyone’s imagination. This book wasn’t at all like that and the previously mentioned narrative was very basic.
I wish it had a better cover too 🥲💔
When I read a book, I expect to read something that I can’t write, produce, something that won’t even cross anyone’s imagination. This book wasn’t at all like that and the previously mentioned narrative was very basic.
I wish it had a better cover too 🥲💔
June 23, 2024
It is an interesting and infuriating book at the same time. Interesting for the description of traditions, the role of women in a changing society and for its reflection on the Bahraini society. Infuriating for romanticizing forced marriages, child brides and blind devotion to a husband who abandons wife and nine children for 30 years, and for being written in a naive, child-like manner.
I read this book as part of our project Virtual Nomad that explores and celebrates food, writing, cinema and music from different countries. www.myvirtualnomad.com
I read this book as part of our project Virtual Nomad that explores and celebrates food, writing, cinema and music from different countries. www.myvirtualnomad.com
July 21, 2025
Read for my Read Around The World Challenge: Bahrain
Well, it's a story. It's a very specific read, super telling of Bahrain's life. The story itself is quite linear, going from the marriage of Khadeeja, the protagonist, to her death. The bad thing is she's married at twelve and pregnant right after, which I understand some culture accept but it doesn't make it any less uncomfortable considering all the praise she gives to this, especially after her husband leaves.
The language is very fairytale-esque and feels a little alienating cause you'd never hear anybody talk like this. I appreciate that the author tried to explain some of the Bahrain's history and to show us how the culture evolved (some of the protagonist's daughters left for the west or got married later on) but it was such small crumbs in an otherwise bland story that it didn't really save the book for me. I guess it's a good introduction to life in the country and Khadeeja is a good example of survival in unfair circumstances but it's not a book I'd recommend.
Well, it's a story. It's a very specific read, super telling of Bahrain's life. The story itself is quite linear, going from the marriage of Khadeeja, the protagonist, to her death. The bad thing is she's married at twelve and pregnant right after, which I understand some culture accept but it doesn't make it any less uncomfortable considering all the praise she gives to this, especially after her husband leaves.
The language is very fairytale-esque and feels a little alienating cause you'd never hear anybody talk like this. I appreciate that the author tried to explain some of the Bahrain's history and to show us how the culture evolved (some of the protagonist's daughters left for the west or got married later on) but it was such small crumbs in an otherwise bland story that it didn't really save the book for me. I guess it's a good introduction to life in the country and Khadeeja is a good example of survival in unfair circumstances but it's not a book I'd recommend.
November 12, 2024
Couldn’t work out for a long while if this was written in the vein of Lolita, or if the author was serious about the romanticisation of the forced marriage and rape of a 12 year old girl…? I think the socio-cultural brainwashing turned the girl into an unreliable narrator, at least that’s my interpretation from the framing of surrounding political events in a simplistic, one-dimensional manner and her obsession with a doll. And also the traumatic and horrifying events the pre-teen girl went through. But as she got older, nothing changed about the naive narration, and the way her children (and grandchildren) seem to consider the story a great love story (even though the husband left her and her 8 kids) … it didn’t sit well with me, unreliable narrator or not. The writing style was underwhelming.
June 6, 2018
[#113 Bahrain] Although it's told by one narrator, it's actually the story of five generations of Bahraini women. At first, I was put off by the way this book romanticized problematic aspects of Bahraini society, such as the forced marriages involving 12-year-old girls, but to my surprise, I got really sucked into the story and into the fate of Khadeeja's family. One of the most interesting aspects was the evolution of customs through the second half of the 20th century and the fact that the narrator stands for old traditions. You usually read about people trying to escape from traditionalism, so it was interesting to read a different point-of-view. Overall, this book was a nice read but seriously lacked editing and subtlety.
March 28, 2024
Bahrain. Yummah (grandmother) is the story of a perfect Bahraini woman. Married at 14, mother of 8 children, she never loses her faith and remains loyal to the husband who deserts her. She is rewarded for her steadfastness by being able to care for this husband while he is dying. She is loved and adored by her entire family. After the Golf War her granddaughter takes her to visit Dubai so she can see the house where her husband lived with his second family. I think a lot of this story is lost in translation. The sentence structure was very repetitive and I did not understand the thoughts and actions of the main character.
February 25, 2018
FIRST LINE REVIEW: "I was twelve years old, still a kid with fairy-tale dreams and never-ending imaginings." And in the next 190 pages that "kid" passes through all stages of life with the most disconnected rapidity, covering the years with repetition and an almost nauseating amount of absolutisms, like "never-ending." While I appreciated learning about the family culture of Bahrainis, I really wish that Al Shafei had a stronger editor to help her with this story, told with such obvious love for her subject.
March 4, 2018
I did not know at what point in time this book took place until a date about half way through the book was mentioned. This book left me with some questions that as a Westerner might be a bit crass but I am just trying to learn.
After the first night with her husband and Khadeeja said she loved him, was that common for an unmet couple to fall in love at first site like that? Or was that unusual?
Was Layla an attempt to hold on to her childhood?
Could or can a man have more than one wife like that, or is there a protocol for this?
After the first night with her husband and Khadeeja said she loved him, was that common for an unmet couple to fall in love at first site like that? Or was that unusual?
Was Layla an attempt to hold on to her childhood?
Could or can a man have more than one wife like that, or is there a protocol for this?
July 18, 2021
I was certain I wouldn’t enjoy a book that began with a child-bride, but my heart was melted by the love story that unfolded. A beautiful woman who was seen first for her strength emerged from the child. She fought against shame and bitterness and in the end was rewarded for her forgiveness and love. This gives a picture of loyalty and faithfulness that stretches across generations to create kindness in a harsh world.
March 8, 2022
This book had no business being so unbearably boring. It tried but it just wasn't giving what it was supposed to be giving.
It was an endless cycle of deaths and weddings and births and very little room for much else.
There was no room for character development because with all those births, naturally, they'd be a whole load of characters and developing them would leave us with an extra 1000 pages at least.
It was an endless cycle of deaths and weddings and births and very little room for much else.
There was no room for character development because with all those births, naturally, they'd be a whole load of characters and developing them would leave us with an extra 1000 pages at least.
March 6, 2025
Read as the Bahrain entry for the read around the world challenge. The novel is an easy read, even though the translation is far from perfect.
The novel romanticises child marriages and all the characters appear to be perfect. Yes it provides a small insight into Bahrain’s culture, but I cannot recommend it.
The novel romanticises child marriages and all the characters appear to be perfect. Yes it provides a small insight into Bahrain’s culture, but I cannot recommend it.
December 20, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. It's quite a simply told tale of one woman's life through a period of transformation in Bahrain. I feels like it is a granddaughter's elegy to a much loved grandmother. Nothing clever about it but I was engaged and touched.
April 17, 2020
For some reason, I love this book.
Is the writing top-notch? Not entirely. Is the author eloquent? Not in translation, no. Would I recommend it to most of my friends? No.
But I liked it quite a bit.
Is the writing top-notch? Not entirely. Is the author eloquent? Not in translation, no. Would I recommend it to most of my friends? No.
But I liked it quite a bit.
September 19, 2020
This is... not good. There are some interesting things about it, like the centrality of unquestioned faith, but it's trite, saccharine sweet, and so overbrimming with tragedy as to be absurd. It's also not very well written, or edited. Were it not for the novelty of being written by a Bahraini woman, I doubt it would have been published. That's also the reason, come to think of it, that I picked it up in the first place.
April 10, 2024
I’m doing the reading around the world project and this book about a family from Bahrain does a good job of giving the reader a glimpse into the life of a Muslim family. Light on details about Bahrain itself but so far the best book I’ve read for this project.
December 14, 2025
I read this book for my reading-of-the-world project (Bahrain). It is a solid story, although I suspect a lot is loss in translation. I do not have anything to add that isn't already covered in the 2, 3, and 4 star ratings on GoodReads.
October 17, 2022
Country: Bahrain
November 13, 2023
“No, you have forgotten that after all I have been through, I am still a child.”
The resiliency of women is an incredible thing!
The resiliency of women is an incredible thing!
July 2, 2024
3.5 stars. Interesting story but could have used more editing over another couple of drafts.
June 7, 2025
Reading around the world: Bahrain.
A strange book, it's the story of Khadeeja, from child bride to her death, across the modern history of Bahrain.
A strange book, it's the story of Khadeeja, from child bride to her death, across the modern history of Bahrain.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews