Where Pigeons Don’t Fly

Saudi writer Al-Mohaimeed’s moving novel follows self-exiled artist Fahd al-Safeelawi, who grew up in the conservative religious city of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. After enduring a childhood with a joyless, superstitious family that made him a scapegoat for their troubles, Fahd’s father, Suleiman, falls in with an antigovernment group and lands in jail for four years. There, he pens journals that he eventually leaves to his son. Suleiman briefly finds happiness after marrying Soha, a Jordanian woman, with whom he has Fahd and a daughter, Lulua. The family has a loving life together, filled with music and art, but it comes to an abrupt halt after Suleiman’s death in a car crash. In the ensuing turmoil, Fahd moves in with his best friend, Saeed. Like many of his countrymen, Fahd circumvents social constraints and manages to have physical relationships with women, first with the difficult (and married) Thuraya, and then with Tarfah, who also has a sad past. It’s with Tarfah that Fahd is targeted by the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice and accused of sorcery. Stilted and rife with exposition, dialogue isn’t Al-Mohaimeed’s strong suit: “Listen here Fahd: it’s nothing to do with surour, the word for happiness,” Saeed says. But the fractured storytelling style, filled with memories, is perfect for what is ultimately a son’s loving tribute to his father, who tried to encourage joy in a place where it was easily snuffed out. Al-Mohaimeed also deftly demonstrates how women especially pay the price in this society. (July)