What starts as a murder mystery becomes so much more..

Diving for Pearls draws six characters’ lives together after a woman’s body is found floating in the marina. The novel moves between their stories as they all deal with the fallout.

What strikes you straightaway is the poverty gap in Dubai. The lower classes are represented by the characters of Gete and Tahir. Gete is the maid and childminder for Siobhán’s family. The powerlessness she feels that if something happened to her, there is nothing she or her family could do to help. Another character, Tahir, is a taxi-driver who lives in a camp with other RTA drivers where no-one has any privacy or personal space, and are forced to reside in unbearable living conditions in order to try and make money to send home to their families. On Instagram, Dubai is portrayed as the place to go for boozy lunches and the Rugby 7s. In Diving for Pearls, that image is wiped away and we see underneath the supposed glitz and glamour.

There are also two Irish characters at the centre of the novel: Siobhán and Trevor. They provide an interesting contrast to the other characters. They live “the good life” with no worries and air-conditioned malls. I really enjoyed the sibling bond between them (I know, I know, I keep banging on about sibling bonds in books these days!) and how no matter what they’ll always be there for each other. A shoutout also for Joan, the siblings’ mother. She reminded me of many mother figures who will drop everything for their babies. I honestly wanted to give her a big hug!

There are a lot of characters, even an unnamed movie star, and yet it doesn’t feel overly stretched. I’ve read some reviews where readers mentioned that they would have liked more of Hiyam’s story and while I understand that I quite liked how she remained at the edges – never quite revealed to us by the author.

Overall, an interesting, thought-provoking page turner.

A disparate group of people is linked by the death of a young Arab woman in Dubai. One, her brother, is hiding his homosexuality from his family. Another is a Russian prostitute. A third is a Pakistani taxi driver. There is an Irish woman with two spoiled children and their Ethiopian maid, a husband who is working away, and her brother who has just arrived on holiday.

As the investigation proceeds, we see behind the facade of Dubai, the glittering vistas and skyscrapers, and opulent lifestyles, and are shown the cold, hard reality of life underneath. The brutality of a father and brother whose hardline attitude condemns an innocent man to prison, the feckless businessman whose affair splits his family apart, the maid who dreams of setting up her own business but is trapped without her passport.

I didn't particularly enjoy this story, mainly because many of the characters were difficult to invest in; however, the oppressiveness of Dubai was well rendered as well as the sense of hopelessness and the superficial lifestyle. The rich can buy just about anything, and those who are brought over to work have few if any rights. There is a strong sense of injustice that isn't fully resolved by the end of the novel and this didn't sit well with me.

Gete, the maid, came over well and I also grew to like Trevor, who seemed vulnerable somehow. Tahir was a good man trapped in an endless cycle of sleeping, eating and driving rich people around.

There is an interesting dichotomy between Siobhan and her family leaving Ireland for a better life and Aasim who wants to escape Dubai to return to his studies and boyfriend in Dublin. Aasim is complex, torn between love for his mother and his sexuality. I would have liked to know where things ended up with him but we aren't told.

The story is well written but in the end it didn't engage me enough.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, in return for an honest appraisal.

Well written, descriptive and very different with bizarre characters and a setting of Dubai, but regretfully it just wasn’t for me. I can see this would have wide appeal though, it’s a mismatch rather than a negative review.

A wonderful, diverse, descriptive book of life in Dubai. The riches to the rags. The scenes of grotesque wealth hide the lives of the key workers behind the scenes. An interesting domestic novel about the lives and life of living in the city of such contrasts of values and rules.

What I liked most about this book is the setting. I have never read any book set in Dubai and this author did a fantastic job with bringing the city to life. I enjoyed reading about the different characters in the story. Some of them were quite humorous. However, I did struggle with the change in POVs and timelines. Nevertheless, this was an entertaining read especially once the pace picked up. I recommend it to readers who enjoy mysteries and books set in unique, well-portrayed locations.

The ripples created by a stone thrown in a tranquil pool, or in this case a boulder.'- each wave represents one person whose life will be changed by the death of one young woman. The connections are by no means obvious as Jamie O'connell presents them to us one by one.

Set in Dubai, a place that has been founded on wealth; from the booming pearl industry to the discovery of oil, he paints the glittering city in all its glory and its grime. The opulence, the iconic buildings, the sheer decadence of the life that can be bought for the right price in this coastal city surrounded by sand is contrasted with the lives of those who do not have, those who are 'imported' to the country to serve, those who have their freedoms stripped from them, those who are constantly at the mercy of those whom they serve.. Scrutinised from all sides, we get a taste of the intricate, precarious workings of Dubai.

In addition, we have a strong backstory set in Dublin, over half of the characters are either from there or have left Dubai to make a life there. Drawn from O'Connell's own life, the contrasts are perfectly pitched and provide an interesting layer to the narrative.

What this book does perfectly is dispel that age old myth that money can buy you anything, more than the cliched happiness, it looks at where the true power is held in this place of excess and glamour. Money will give you more choices, absolutely, but it won't guarantee your freedom, no matter how deep your pocket - you should never forget that you are but a visitor in this place and the price of not playing by the rules could be catastrophic..

O'Connell has captured the heady, magnificent atmosphere of Dubai, while at the same time the oppressive, threatening nature of life should you find yourself at the mercy of the authorities.

Overall a thought-provoking read, but I felt that there were too many characters at play to enable me to totally immerse myself in any of them fully and for me it lost some of its cohesiveness because of it.

I had such high hopes for this book after reading the description. However, I was a tad disappointed. I felt the book did not flow very well and the different character's stories became kind of disconnected for me and I couldn't really get into the story because of this.
Thank you to Jamie O'Connell, NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Diving for Pearls is the debut novelfrom Irish author Jamie O’Connell, and is set in the glitz and glamour that is Dubai. When a young woman is found floating in the Marina in Dubai, the ripples spread out to touch the lives of seven very different people in Dubai and in Dublin. Told from the points of view of seven different characters this is part thriller, part contemporary fiction, that raises many questions of people trafficking, race and the power of the rich.

Dubai is synonymous with money, luxury, the elite and opulence, with it’s beautiful beaches, the Burj Khalifia and shopping malls. But what Jamie O’Connell does in Diving for Pearls is show the contrast of two worlds, the glamour and money and those who are brought in to work, do the menial jobs like taxi drivers, builders, maids and sex workers, all through the eyes of seven people, all in some way connected to Dubai and with tenuous links to the murdered woman.

Aasim was brought up in Dubai, the son of a wealthy family, but he couldn’t wait to get away. Now a studying to be surgeon at Dublin University he can finally be himself, and no longer hide his sexuality. Being gay in Dubai is illegal, and could result in death, or prison at the least, but in Dublin he can openly live with his boyfriend. When he is called back to Dubai after the death of his sister, he struggles to tow the family line, he feels like an outsider and tensions rise, all he wants is to go back to Dublin. Joan lives in Cork, but her daughter Siobhan and her husband and children live in Dubai. Siobhan lives a life of luxury, spending money in the malls, lunch and brunch with other ex pats and has a maid to help her look after her two sons. The downside is that her husband works long hours. Joan’s son, Trevor, has a troubled past that is slowly revealed, and goes to stay with Siobhan with the aim of maybe starting a business out in Dubai. Interestingly he showed a lot of compassion towards Gete, Siobhan’s maid, finding it hard to get used to the privileged life his sister lives. Through his eyes we see how the glamour and riches are seen by those new to the city. He is stunned by the amount of money Siobhan spends, the heat and the extravagant lifestyles of her and her friends. Aasim, Siobhan and Trevor are all privilaged in their lives in Dubai, but there is a darker side, and not everything is shiney and bright.

Grete is maid to Siobhan. She was brought into Dubai from Ethiopia with promises of money that she sends home to her family. However, the agency that recruited her took her passport when she came into the country so she can’t go home until her contract has been completed, including money to be paid to the agency. Through Grete we learn that other maids are not treated as well as her, some are beaten or sexually abused by the male in the house. Tahir, like Grete, came to Dubai through an agency, also looking to make money for a better life for his family. He drives a taxi, ferrying the rich around Dubai, and off shift sleeps in a small room with seven other men, sharing a shower and a ring on an oven to make something to eat. The final character is Lydia, a sex worker from Russia. Sex outside marriage is illegal in Dubai, so whilst there is money to be made, there is also fear at being arrested. These characters show the injustice in Dubai, how those who are there to work, non white, not part of the elite, are seen as inferior, an shown no respect by the law or the rich.

Jamie O’Connell really brings to light the trafficking and seedier side of Dubai, something we probably don’t think about when we seen the sun and beautiful architecture. I also thought the irony of Siobhan and her family moving to Dubai for a better life, against Aasim, a native of Dubai wanting to escape to Dublin, very thought provoking; nowhere is perfect. Jamie O’Connell really captures both sides to Dubai, the light and the dark, the good and the bad, in his prose, catching the heady atmosphere Dubai offers, and those who live there. However, I did feel the book was a bit disjointed in parts, the seven points of view not coming together to make a whole story. I also felt that there was a lot of jumping between past and present in the characters stories with no precursor so it got a little confusing. There were also bits just dropped in, like Trevor doing a degree but no mention in what it was, I wanted more from the characters, more information that would have made me connect more. I have to say I didn’t even understand why the actor even appeared in the book as he played no role at all in the story, apart from adding to the idea of Dubai being a playground for the rich and famous.

Overall I did enjoy reading Diving for Pearls. I loved the setting of Dubai, a place I would love to visit, and the two contrasting sides to the city. Jamie O’Connell certainly captured the atmosphere and zeitgeist of Dubai,the luxury and the idea that money can just about buy anything, and the consumerism of the society we now live in. The diversity of the characters, their beliefs, their lifestyles, made for a fascinating read even though I would I have loved to learn more about them. The themes of injustice, discrimination, wealth versus poverty, sexuality and trafficking make for a thought provoking and compelling read. Was the conclusion fitting? I will let you decide.

Unfortunately I couldn’t really get into the story. It seemed to cram in too many disparate characters and it was difficult to keep track of them. It isa crime story, in fact, apart from describing some of Dubai’s iconic buildings, I wasn’t sure what it was.

Nothing like the write-up given for the book.

I was so looking forward to reading this novel thanks to the recommendation from the book’s publishers. However, it was a grim read traipsing through a disparate group of different unconnected people’s lives who left me feeling both depressed and angry. But maybe that was the whole purpose of the book – We always imagine that Dubai is filled with wealth and success far beyond our wildest dreams, but we don’t see the underbelly where there is prostitution, gays can be locked up, maids/nannies are “imported” from poor countries – have their passports confiscated to ensure that they can’t simply go home when they like. Wealthy people can commit murder and blame it on innocent taxi drivers also “imported” to do a job no one else will do.

If truth be told, the only characters I connected with or had any kind of empathy for was Gete, the nanny who is at the beck and call of her employer and Tahir, an innocent, vulnerable taxi driver who dreams of returning to his wife and young children.

I wanted to give it three stars but then I thought about it and maybe this should be a five-star review because just maybe, the author wanted me to react in the way that I have?

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

3.5★

I don't think Jamie O'Connell's going to be consulting for the UAE tourism authority any time soon. The picture of Dubai that he paints in his debut novel is equally glamorous and grotesque; a place where excess and exploitation sit uncomfortably side by side. After a shaky start, this book developed into a fairly good read, but did absolutely <i>nothing</i> to increase my desire to visit Dubai!

Although the story begins with a dead body floating in the marina, followed by an investigation, I wouldn't necessarily call this a crime novel. There are certainly elements of a contemporary family drama though. Told from seven disparate but connected points of view, it's more about how the death affects two main families, one Irish and one Emirati.

There's Siobahn, the expat housewife whose main pastime is shopping. She knows what it's like to have very little, so she's enjoying her Dubai lifestyle to its fullest. She has her hands full with two very young boys, but she's able to offload them on her Ethiopian maid, Gete, whenever she chooses. Gete is smart, kind and principled, working to improve her whole family's prospects back in Ethiopia. Although she works hard all the hours of the day, secretly she wonders how she can ever return to her old life now that she's used to having hot water literally on tap. Sio's younger brother Trevor has come to visit, a year after his mysterious and somewhat mortifying 'accident' back in Dublin. She hopes that he might pick up a job offer as a personal trainer while he's there, and he wonders if that's something he would even consider. Still, he's happy to be spending time with his sister and her family, even if his brother-in-law is absent. Back in Dublin, their mother Joan worries about both of them, but especially Trevor. She's been a widow for a while and is keen to start living again, but the accident preys on her mind and she's also attuned to Siobahn's loneliness.

With his own connections to Ireland, there's the dead woman's brother Aasim. He has to hide his true self from his mega-wealthy and influential family, but he was close to his sister and flies back to Dubai as soon as he hears of her death. He knows he doesn't belong there, and could never live there again. Tahir is a Pakistani taxi driver, there for similar reasons to Gete, with a loving wife and daughters back home that he's supporting. His Dubai life is nothing like Gete's though, living in a dormitory with very little time to himself. As a taxi driver he sees and hears what goes on in the real Dubai, and he knows there are many who would take his place in the blink of an eye. Finally, there is Lydia, a Russian model-turned-sex-worker. She has all the clothes and the beauty products and an outwardly luxe life, but underneath it all she's not so different from Gete and Tahir. Her position in Dubai is no less precarious than theirs, and when she is connected to the death, she is forced to re-evaluate her life.

Gradually the Dubai underbelly comes into focus and we learn enough to draw our own conclusions about the mysterious death. Some readers will find this frustrating, as with the epilogue which neatly delivers an aftermath for most characters but not all. I admit to being comfortable with the former but left wanting to know what happened next for the others.

The synopsis of this book really caught my attention and I couldn't wait to get started. Dubai is a place unlike any other on earth - filled with huge buildings, mega malls, the newly rich, and wide-eyed tourists desperate to soak up the glamour.

In O'Connell's book a world of exploited immigrant workers, corrupt cops and shattered dreams lies just beneath the glittering facade.

Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character and their stories are linked by the death of a young Emirate women who's body is found floating in the Marina.

The characters are convincing and the stories play together well. Having visited Dubai I could vividly picture the places described and the author really does convey the scale and atmosphere of the place.

The intrigue around the death becomes a side note to the bigger themes being explored, which is a clever way of introducing the more seedy side of Dubai life, but it leaves you a bit disappointed if you were hoping for a fully- resolved murder mystery!

A good book one I'd recommend for an enjoyable holiday read.

Thank you to Random House UK for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blimey! What a story! It belts along a helluva pace, all the characters weaving in and out of each other's lives. I can't imagine the Dubai tourist information bureau would be too happy with the book! I was gripped.

Many thanks to Netgalley & the publisher Random House for the free temporary digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot believe this is a debut novel - I thoroughly enjoyed it. It took me a couple of short chapters to get used to the writing style - short sentences, sometimes quite cryptic. But his main characters were very well drawn - to the point you heard their voices and thoughts and saw their different backgrounds. I marvelled that the author, Jamie O'Connell was able convey this with his writing style. Nothing was superfluous.

There is no point writing a synopsis of the book - you can get that from other reviews. I will say that I am still thinking about some of the characters and this is where it gets tricky - the ending
felt a bit rushed because not all loose ends were tied up. What happened to Aasim & Tahir ??

I would still look out for another book by this author - I like his style and the book very much.

I really enjoyed this book and the way it was written from different perspectives, all coming together around the mysterious death of a young Emirates woman. I loved the setting - I always like being taken to different places when I read and this book took me to a Dubai I knew nothing about, mixed in with bits of Dublin. The characters were so well drawn I could picture them all and empathise with every one of them to some degree. A couple of loose ends could have done with tying up at the end, but apart from that I loved it! Something a bit different.

The story is set in Dubai and centres around the discovery of the body of a local girl and the subsequent investigation into her death. The narrative is seen through the perspective of an eclectic mix of different characters: an Irish ex-pat and her brother, an Ethiopian nanny, a Russian prostitute and an Indian taxi driver.

The novel reveals the stark contrast between the lives of the wealthy and the poverty stricken as well as the hidden corruption and bias of the establishment; I found the speed and level of danger that foreigners could find themselves in terrifying.

I found the novel a little difficult to get into and the story arc of certain characters more compelling than others. But I was intrigued to see how they all interconnected and the part each had played in the events surrounding the girl’s death. A slow burner but worth the effort.

People dived for Pearl's in Dubai harbour to get rich and change their fortune...What if an affluent Emirate girl turns up floating dead in the JBR Marina. How will her death affect those around her? A tale of the uglines of greed, and the vulgarity of entitlement, and the divide between those living a disposable lifestyle, and those sending every penny back. home to make a difference. A story about how money can grant you freedom, or turn you into a prisoner. "Some Women can't fit in, and they are either adored for it, or they are destroyed".
A brilliant tale of Dubai through the eyes of the rich, and those chasing the wealth, how people can be easily used, and things can easily be disposed of. A story of too much money and too little conscience.

Jamie O’Connell’s debut novel is told from six points of view, Emiratis, western ex-pats and migrant workers , an Egyptian maid, a Pakistani taxi driver and a Russian sex worker, the portraits that he author paints of these characters are full of true-to-life detail - the excess of a Dubai brunch, the hardship of life as an agency worker, and a very famous stunt involving an unnamed movie star.

The connection between our six protagonists becomes clear very quickly, and with it the identity of perpetrator, and I found the ending rushed and unsatisfying - albeit, on reflection, probably a realistic one. Still, this is a promising debut, and I’d be interested to see what O’Connell does next.
The synopsis of this book really caught my attention and I couldn't wait to get started. Dubai is a place unlike any other on earth - filled with huge buildings, mega malls, the newly rich, and wide-eyed tourists desperate to soak up the glamour.
Sadly the “mystery” element of the book falls short and with there being quite a lot of characters (six main ones tell us their story), I did have a few moments where I forgot who someone was and I had to have a little think to get myself back on track. But I got there easily enough.

A good book one I'd recommend for an enjoyable holiday read.
Thank you to Random house and Netgalley for an eARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This novel takes us inside the city that is Dubai with its its juxtaposition of the extravagant lifestyle experienced by the very wealthy with the poverty experienced by those who have come from poorer countries to build the ever more flamboyant buildings or work as maids or taxi drivers for the wealthy classes.

The discovery of the body of a young girl from an Emirate family will affect a number of people from all stratas of society. Much of the story is seen through the eyes of Siobhan, an Irish expat living in Dubai, her brother Trevor who is visiting, Siobhan’s Ethiopian maid Gete, Tahir, a taxi driver from India and Lydia, a Russian prostitute. Each has a different experience of Dubai. While Siobhan loves the expat lifestyle, spending extravagantly while Tahir and Gete work long hours for little pay. Tahir’s story is a really sad one. Forced to work twelve hours a day driving a taxi in a hot, humid climate, living in a shared dorm in substandard housing, eating meagre food, but unable to go back home. Gete at least has a room and knows she is lucky to be treated well (and is not raped by the master like many maids she knows), but nevertheless she had to give up her passport to the agency when she arrived and is also not free to leave. With unmarried sex illegal in Dubai, Lydia lives in constant danger of being arrested if caught and thrown into prison.

I found this a very thoughtful debut novel. Dubai might be a fabulous city full of beautiful buildings and a wealthy ruling class but at what expense? Underneath the façade there is a world of corruption, cruelty and inhumanity that can’t entirely be hidden by the glamour of the city.

<i>With thanks to Random House UK and Netaglley for a copy to read</i>

The story seemed unusual and full of promise. I have never been to Dubai so was unable to identify with its description. Unfortunately the writing did not appeal and it seemed as if each chapter was disconnected from the previous or following one. There was just too much. Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to try a new author to me.