I’ve read this twice now. The first time was very confusing and because I had a reading group discussion coming up I read it again. I had a feeling I’d really like it once I got the characters straightened out.
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Celestial Bodies
by Jokha Alharthi
2019 / 256 pages
read by Laurence Bouvard
rating – 7.75 / historical fiction
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So I did read this book again, but it still wasn’t entirely clear. It is historical fiction, but the time frames aren’t chronological. There is some magical realism in it. I guess the reader is supposed to figure out who these people are and their relationship to each other along with the sequence of events. That’s a rather tall order imo.. .
Another theme is women’s “liberation” as it applies the social scene of marriage. The women in Oman went from being slaves to careers and driving cars in a few decades.
Becky's Books - 
I feel vaguely guilty about this book… like you I found it confusing and since I also found it not terribly engaging and I didn’t have a book group to worry about, I sent it back to the library unread.
But I recognise that it has some importance given where it’s written and the issues it canvasses. I think it won a translation prize?
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