Top 5 books based in Middle Eastern countries

I recently have become open to reading books based in the Middle East and have come to love them. I feel that we’re so used to life being depicted by how those live in the West, that these books bring about a whole new perspective of how life is lived in other parts of the world. It leaves me in wonder and despair for how they carry out their lives. So here are the top 5 from the ones that I have read. Leave a comment on other books based in the Middle East that you have read, and your thoughts of them.

5. The Bridges of Constantine, by Ahlem Mosteghanemi

The book was written beautifully, but the reason for it being placed in the fifth position is because the style of writing was a bit confusing. The fact that it has many lyrical aspects and was written as if it were a poem, made it difficult to keep my chain of thought at some parts of the book. However, the storyline line was great, which lead to me purchasing the next two books in this trilogy.

4. The Bookseller of Kabul, by Asne Seierstad

Wonderful, just amazing. The author mentioned in the beginning that she lived with this family in Kabul for quite some time, and wrote of her experiences in this book. It was amazing to witness the daily life of the people of Kabul, which really opened my eyes to a new culture and mind set.

3. A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini

This book made me aware of the horrors and traumas that my fellow sisters around the world have to face, which made me feel thankful for the freedom that I have to make my own choices and to be treated as an equal. I had first read ‘The Kite Runner’, which is also written by the same author, but found that this one is definitely my favourite between the two. I look forward to reading other books written by the same author.

2. The Blue Between Sky and Water, by Susan Abulhawa

A beautiful tale with a haphazard journey that truly made me feel one with the characters. The novel begins the story with life before war in Palestine and continues to narrate how the Palestinians continued their lives during war. It just makes everything all the more real and tragic as you’re allowed to witness how much the people have lost and how they cope with it.

1.The Beekeeper of Aleppo, by Christy Lefteri

My absolute favourite, and not only amongst the books set in the Middle East. A story that brought tears to my eyes throughout the book. The way it was written was magnificent and truly full of heart aching moments. The journey of the characters through different countries to reach their destination brings about a new perspective of life and opens my eyes to how life is lived outside of the safety bubble that some of us are placed in.

I have done a separate post with my thoughts on this book, so check it out for a more in-depth description and more of my thoughts on it.