by Eman Quotah
5.When she first arrives in Jidda, Hanadi thinks that “she could tell, being here for less than half an hour, that she was a different person than she might have been if she’d grown up here, with her family intact…. What other lost elements of herself would she find here?” Do you believe that your birthplace shaped your identity? Have you ever found “lost elements” of yourself in an unexpected place?
6.While exploring Jidda, Hanadi recognizes that “this place—this bride of the Red Sea, as her father calls the city—is the origin of her mother’s phonemes.” What do you think Quotah is saying about intimacy and alienation in parent-child relationships?
7.Which character makes the most egregious decision in this novel? Does your answer to this question change depending on where you are in the story?
8.Over the course of the novel, more than forty years pass. What character changes the most in that time, in your opinion?
9.What role does secrecy, both voluntary and involuntary, play in this novel?
10. What do you think of Hanadi’s dreams and prophecies throughout the novel? Have you ever had a dream that seemed to predict later events?
11. How do the various sections—the chronological history and Hanadi’s flashbacks—affect your reading of the book? Why do you think the author chose to structure the novel in this way?
Copyright © 2021 Eman Quotah
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, contact: Tin House, 2617 NW Thurman St., Portland, OR 97210.
Published by Tin House, Portland, Oregon
Distributed by W. W. Norton and Company
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Names: Quotah, Eman, author.
Title: Bride of the sea : a novel / Eman Quotah.
Description: Portland, Oregon : Tin House, [2021]
Identifiers: LCCN 2020034682 | ISBN 9781951142452 (paperback) | ISBN 9781951142469 (ebook)
Classification: LCC PS3617.U68 B75 2021 | DDC 813/.6--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020034682
First US Edition 2021
Interior design by Diane Chonette
www.tinhouse.com
