This was truly a stunning debut novel about two newlywed Saudi Arabian students in Ohio. They divorce and the mother disappears with her daughter. I loved how this novel spanned many years and included many generations of the family. It was a great look into the immigrant experience and Saudi culture. The family dynamics were intricate and tugged at my heart. I can´t wait to read what Eman Quotah writes next.

I have mixed feelings about Bride of the Sea. The author did a wonderful job of setting the reader in Saudi Arabia and in the culture of the Saudi expat community. I enjoyed Hanadi's story and her search for belonging. I wanted more of Saeedah, who seemed tangential. I didn't care much for Muneer and his search for Hanadi. Thank you to Tin House Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

I first heard of this title during the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club Winter Book Preview, and was immediately intrigued. I was fortunate to get approved for an ARC from NetGalley the next day and was able to dive right in. This is a beautiful debut that tells the story of an extended Saudi family as it moves back and forth in time and place across four decades and between the US and Saudi Arabia. There is much here about the importance of family - family of origin as well as found family - and the positive and negative impacts families have on one another. Specifically the impact that parental choices have on their children and the impact of children's choices on their parents. None of us lives in isolation. I was especially moved by the parts of the story that dealt with the unique difficulties of being an immigrant in the US. While there is the natural feeling of being torn between two cultures and trying to find a place of belonging, there is also the compounding problem of racism that seems to never be improving. 

While the stories and cultures depicted are very different, this book reminded me of the way I felt as I read Fatima Marheen Mirza's A Place for Us and Marjan Kamali's The Stationery Shop. So, if you loved those books, you will find this one to be a lovely addition to your reading stack. Debuts January 26.

Bride of the Sea by Eman Quotah pulled me in as soon as I opened the book. I was hungry to understand the unease between Muneer and Saeedah. But it quickly became apparent that what I expected to be a fast-paced family crime drama, was actually a slow and simmering family saga. Quotah’s characters were rich with depth and surprise, and the storyline had more complexity than I imagined. This novel wove together a heart-breaking and heart-opening tale of how the fears of those we love most can become our deepest wounds, and how a hope kept alive despite circumstance can become the path to healing. It meandered through multiple perspectives across over four decades and numerous geographic locations, with intensity but not hurry. It raised questions about the nature of family, nationality, connection, dislocation, discrimination, and love. And it created a window into both the daily life and generational expanse of a Saudi family, revealing the gifts and struggles that arise in this largely misunderstood context. Four stars for a well-crafted story, excellent writing, and delicate address of complex and compelling issues!

Thank you Tin House and NetGalley for the advanced reader digital copy.

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3684286074?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Beautifully written and read more like an epic than a novel. There is no book or author that I could compare this to because it is unlike anything I've ever read in all the good ways.

BRIDE OF THE SEA by debut author Eman Quotah is a family saga about a Saudi family that gets torn apart. Saeedah, a young mother, suddenly disappears from her Cleveland home, taking her young daughter Hanadi with her. Her husband Muneer is left behind, to search for his lost wife and daughter for years following. The story covers multiple persepctives and spans decades, from Saeedah and Muneer's courtship and marriage in Saudi Arabia, to their marriage and immigration to Ohio, and finally Hanadi's search to connect with her lost identity and family when she comes of age.

Quotah juxtaposes Saeedah and Muneer's dynamic family life in Saudi Arabia, the familial expectations that lead Saeedah to run, and the isolation that she imposes on herself and Hanadi in order to remain hidden from their family.

My favorite perspective was Hanadi, who is raised knowing little of her heritage. It felt bittersweet to watch her reconnect with her lost family and culture in her 20s. Although she is welcomed with open arms, there is a sense of uncertainty that looms over her, and the knowledge of what her life could have been like if things had been different. It's not a perfect happy family reunion. It's a reminder that families aren't perfect, and the simplistic idea of "family is everything" is messier than it seems.

Thank you to NetGalley and TinHouse for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. BRIDE OF THE SEA is out January 26, 2021!

Bride of the Sea is the story of a Saudi Arabian family consisting of Muneer, Saeedah, and Hanadi. When Muneer and Saeedah get divorced, Saeedah flees with their daughter Hanadi, and the remainder of the story is told over decades, as Muneer searches for his daughter.

The premise of the book is what hooked me from the start. However, by the middle of the book my interest was slowing. At times, I had trouble following the timeline because the author often jumped ahead and I felt like I was missing parts of their story. Especially, towards the end of the book when we jump decades at a time.

About 60% of the way into the story, things picked up again. This is when Hanadi (now Hannah) really comes to terms with her lifelong identity crisis, how her mother’s actions have affected her, and how her life might have been different if she’d been raised with her family in Jidda.

Overall, I enjoyed the story but wished the time jumping flowed together more so I didn’t feel like I was missing details. I also wish the ending was a bit stronger, as it felt like it just kind of ended out of nowhere.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tin House Books for the eArc in exchange for my honest review!

A beautifully written book about what it means to belong, to know loss, and to heal.
Muneer and Saeedah are young students in Ohio. Expecting their first child, Saeedah is detached, aloof, and not a willing particpant in their life together. They eventually divorce; Muneer returns to Saudi Arabia and Saeedah stays in Ohio with their daughter, Hanadi. Saeedah eventually disappears with Hanadi, leaving Muneer to search for his daughter for years.
A intimate look at life in the Middle East, the bonds of familial love, and heartbreak.

A nuanced, slow and simmering tale of identity, culture-clashes, and familial relationships, BRIDE OF THE SEA is a wonderful debut from Eman Quotah. Spanning close to five decades, we follow Sadie and Hannah, a mother and daughter who are Saudi Arabian immigrants in Ohio. Early in the book, Sadie divorces Hannah's father Muneer and runs away with Hannah. Muneer spends more than a decade, after moving back to Saudi Arabia, searching for his daughter (who has since changed names multiple times, and moved with her mother constantly). It is a wonderful hook for the book, but it is about so much more than this shocking occurrence.

As we watch Hannah grow up, we watch her come to terms with this cultural identity crisis and what her mother has done by taking her away from her family and only allowing her to discover her Saudi Arabian heritage when she is adult and discovers it on her own. Quotah's prose is memorable and beautiful, I often got lost in the language and felt transported to the vivid places she describes. While the book is not action packed by any means, I really liked all of the characters and what Quotah has to say about family and parental bonds. It's a sad story about loss, secrets, betrayals, and conservative cultures. I really loved it.

Thank you to Tin House for allowing me to read and review an early copy. BRIDE OF THE SEA comes out on January 26, 2021!

My quarantine goal was to read every Tin House book I could get, and really enjoyed that adventure into the publishing house. I was happy to read this one as a new addition to their collection, but personally this wasn't my favorite.

This was an interesting read. The early chapters and writing drew me right in. I was intrigued by this Saudi Arabian family, their immigration to the US, and the taboo divorce the couple chooses.

Somewhere in the middle, the writing slowed down a lot and I had a difficult timing staying engaged. Wide expanses of years would be skipped or summed up in a paragraph. I know a lot of books do this, but something about it read little choppy at times.

The last quarter of the novel picked up again, where the focus becomes Hanadi, the daughter, and her search to fit in between cultures and parents. I ultimately enjoyed the story, even though it was a bit of a sad one of family conflict, secrets, and loss.

𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧
⋒ slower, literary fiction
⋒ #OwnVoice authors
⋒ immigrant stories/family sagas

—— ★★★

Thank you to NetGalley and TinHouse for this digital advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Read if you: Want a lyrical and unsettling read following a woman's decision to escape with her child after her marriage ends.

Librarians/booksellers: Purchase to enhance your #OwnVoices collection.

Many thanks to Tin House and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.