Steamy novel hits Arab capital

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — It's hardly "Sex and the City," but by Saudi standards "The Girls of Riyadh" is a bombshell.

The fictional tale of the loves, dreams and disappointments of four young women in the capital has, not surprisingly, drawn criticism in a country where women are not supposed to date or have a love life until married. More striking, however, is the degree of support being voiced for 24-year-old author Rajaa al-Sanie and her first novel.

In the novel, Sadeem's husband divorces her because she's too sexually bold for his liking. Qamra discovers soon after her wedding that her husband is in love with a Japanese woman. Mashael's boyfriend cannot marry her because her mother is American. Only Lamis finds true and lasting love.

"The Girls of Riyadh" was published in September in Lebanon, the most liberal of Arab countries, and is going into its third printing. In Saudi Arabia, where the sexes are strictly segregated, authorities haven't decided whether to approve its sale, but pirated editions are circulating in photocopy form.

Author Mariam Abdel-Karim al-Bukhari, writing in the newspaper Al Riyadh, said she hasn't read the book but nonetheless believes the title "is hurtful to the girls in our country." She wants al-Sanie to change it, or "issue an apology to the girls of Riyadh."

But glowing praise comes from Ghazi al-Qusaibi, a renowned Saudi author who is also the kingdom's labor minister. He calls it "a work that deserves to be read. I expect a lot from this author."

Educator Hussah al-Ghanem agrees. "I support her 100 percent," she said. "People should talk about the positive and negative aspects of their society."

Al-Sanie, fresh out of dental school, wears an Islamic head scarf, like virtually all Saudi women. She says a few of her friends have cut her off because "They don't want to hurt their marriage prospects by associating with a bold friend."

Her biggest supporter is her family.

"Before the book was published, I asked Rajaa, 'Are you willing to go the extra mile for this?'" said her brother, Ahmed. "She's not married yet, and society doesn't forgive or forget."

The book, which isn't available in English, is told in the form of weekly e-mails from a female narrator to Internet subscribers in Saudi Arabia. Many in the Arab world are comparing it to "Sex and the City," the HBO series about four young women in New York City, though there is so sex in "The Girls of Riyadh," only emotions.