The Pact We Made
by Layla AlAmmar
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Pub Date 7 Mar 2019 | Archive Date 1 Apr 2022
HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | The Borough Press
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Description
‘Beautifully written … it can’t be a debut. But it is’ Joanna Cannon
‘Truthful and courageous, radical and lyrical. I loved it’
Hanan Al-Shaykh
What if you had to choose between your family and your freedom?
Dahlia has two lives. In one, she is a young woman with a good job, great friends and a busy social life. In the other, she is an unmarried daughter living at home, struggling with a burgeoning anxiety disorder and a deeply buried secret: a violent betrayal too shameful to speak of.
With her thirtieth birthday fast-approaching, pressure from her mother to accept a marriage proposal begins to strain the family. As her two lives start to collide and fracture, all Dahlia can think of is escape: something that seems impossible when she can’t even leave the country without her father’s consent.
But what if Dahlia does have a choice? What if all she needs is the courage to make it?
Set in contemporary Kuwait, The Pact We Made is a deeply affecting and timely debut about family, secrets and one woman’s search for a different life.
Advance Praise
‘So beautifully written and so important, and so cleverly crafted, it can't be a debut. But it is’ Joanna Cannon
‘A Kuwaiti #MeToo novel of muffled suffering and a bid for freedom- absorbing, brave and compelling’ Leila Aboulela
‘Truthful and courageous, radical and lyrical. I loved it’ Hanan Al-Shaykh
‘One of those books you ration so it doesn’t end too soon, it’s beautifully written and unbelievably powerful. I loved it’ Katie Lowe, author of The Furies
‘A timely and deeply affecting debut with a voice that needs to be heard, at a time when it matters most’ Charlotte Philby, author of The Most Difficult Thing
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9780008284466 |
| PRICE | £5.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 288 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Mary H, Reviewer
Wow, this was such a good read. I am amazed and very impressed that this is debut novel. Set in Kuwait, this is the story of Dahlia who is rapidly approaching her thirtieth birthday and, to the chagrin of her mother, remains unmarried. Dahlia is struggling to reconcile being a modern woman, with the cultural expectations of her family and country. She is caught between two worlds and needs to make a choice as to where her future lies.
This is a beautifully written novel with acute and poignant observations of the position of women in Kuwaiti society. Dahlia’s struggle with her own anxiety, familial relationships and societal expectancies are deftly described and I was completely absorbed by the story. It is a very truthful and courageous work. Bravo Layla AlAmmar; this is one of my books of the year.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher, Harper Collins, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
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