Here is the beginning of my notes as I read Kingdom of
Strangers, by Zoë Ferraris: At the crime scene, 19 tall Asian women had
been murdered, maimed, and buried over a 10-year period. Lt. Colonel Inspector Ibrahim Zahrani is the Chief Inspector for the serial killer case. There is also a Detective
Inspector Osama Ibrahim. Dr. Charlie Becker, an American woman who is an expert
in serial killers, addresses the group of Saudi investigators and gives them
advice on how to go about the investigation. Why did the author confuse things with
these names? There are plenty of other names available in Saudi Arabia, and there
are plenty of other names in Kingdom of Strangers. It is nice that she
used female characters as key strategists in the search for the serial killer.
The women as main characters in crime-fighting is reminiscent of Meg Gardiner’s
crime thrillers.
The Book Club discussion centered around modern Saudi
culture. Lydia, who nominated and presented the book, wore a beautiful abaya (dress-like garment covering the whole body) to
the meeting and brought a hijab (head covering) and a niqab (face covering) to
show us. She explained about the clothing style differences among the more
conservative and less conservative women, as well as the dress culture in
different locations in Saudi Arabia, such as the area where the Americans lived.
Lydia and her husband had lived and worked in Saudi Arabia and raised their
children there. Peggy had also worked there, for the U.S. government. This is a
very exotic place for Americans to think about! There was plenty of discussion
about modern changes to the laws for women. It was good to have Lydia and Peggy
there to help answer questions that arise when one reads this book!
Joanne provided
a photo of herself with her elementary-school–aged nephews at the beach near Jeddah.
Joanne was wearing a black, full-body–covering abaya, which she had partially
opened, revealing a long-sleeved shirt underneath. Along with Joanne in her 2-layered
outfit in this photo taken on a sunny day at the beach, the 2 young boys wore
shorts and short-sleeved t-shirts. The photo was worth a thousand words!
Among 10 of us, all had read and enjoyed the book! The story
of the investigation of the crime was captivating to read. The surprise twist
at the end of the story was interesting, with a feminist aspect. Our discussion
seemed to keep gravitating toward the customs of the country.
Here are some notes I took during some of the group's conversations,
somewhat verbatim and somewhat my interpretation:
Linda – Their attitude toward women keeps them backward.
Dennis – It’s amazing how they could solve any crimes.
Cindy T. – They claimed a 90% success rate in crime-solving,
because people would talk to the investigators.
Carla – They would torture or threaten.
Saffanah couldn’t get a divorce because her parents wouldn’t
take her back, but the law stipulated that she would have to go back to her
parents’ home if she got divorced.
Carla – Her family could put her to death.
Linda – It seems it’s a culture that hates women. They have
no rights.
Peggy- It is their religion. They respect women. Women have
organized protests to get some of their rights.
Lydia – The men were being protective.
Dennis – They think men can’t control their lust.
Me – Men are lusty and controlling. That might indicate that
they created the oppressive culture in the name of protecting their women.
Flo – That’s how culture is.
Lydia – A man can get legal permission to have a
time-limited affair with a woman who’s not his wife.
Here’s another conversation I thought was interesting:
Lydia – Women are using the
Internet and feeling that they should be more modern, more like Westerners. (Some women enjoy working in Saudi Arabia but are often relegated to working with
women-only and with female customers only, e.g., at the women’s mall.) It takes
time to change attitudes of people and families.
Dennis – Knows a woman from Saudi Arabia who lives in Round Rock,
in an arranged marriage. The woman doesn’t want her daughters to wear make-up,
but the kids want to. The husband doesn’t care.
Cindy V. – The woman would probably be all covered and the husband
would be wearing shorts and sandals. (Similar to Joanne’s photo.)
Claudia – Saffanah’s husband could have been nice, even accepting
the child as did the character in Pachinko, thus making the divorce
unnecessary. Maybe that could have happened, if she had told him of her
pregnancy and how the man lied to her.
Cindy V. – He (Saffanah’s husband) could get a mistress.
Joyce – Ibraham was stupid to not know the dangerous thing
Sabria was doing, when she was blackmailing rapists who had been caught on video.
Claudia – He was part of the culture; they probably didn’t
discuss personal things like that.
Cindy V. – He knew she was secretive, but they probably
didn’t have much discussion during their time together.
Carla – Saffanah’s father had 4 wives.
Ken: Could there be cultural ramifications for this? With
lots of children…
Lydia – Yes, with too many children, poverty was likely.
The discussion was fun interesting and informative,
especially after reading the book!
