A review by deedireads
Bride of the Sea by Eman Quotah

emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

Bride of the Sea is a beautiful debut about belonging, culture, and family; a vivid story following three unforgettable characters over the course of many years.

For you if: You like stories that span decades.

FULL REVIEW:

“At night, lying on a thin mattress next to his brother with the book-hard pillows he wasn’t used to anymore, Muneer wanted to put his hand into his chest and pull his whole heart out. He tried. He placed his fingers against his sternum and pressed harder and harder until it hurt and his fingers seized up and he had to go outside to stretch them out and moan with pain and grief because he might wake up his brother if he stayed inside.”


Bride of the Sea is a truly beautiful debut. Eamon Quotah has crafted a rich, sweeping, emotional story about three sharply defined and unforgettable characters. I enjoyed this book very much — thank you to Tin House for the review copy.

The three main characters are Muneer and Saeedah/Sadie, who are briefly married, and Hanadi/Hannah, their daughter. A few years after Muneer and Saeedah divorce and he moves back to Jidda, Saudi Arabia, Saeedah disappears with Hanadi. Over the course of decades and across oceans, the book alternates through the three characters’ perspectives as Muneer never gives up on finding his daughter, Hannah seeks belonging and family, and Sadie reckons with the world she’s created for herself.

I’m a sucker for beautiful prose and characters who carry the reader through both heartbreak and joy. I loved all three of them in their own way — Muneer with his big heart, Sadie with her individualism and drive, and Hannah with her fierce determination to be her own person.

This also may be the first book I’ve read that takes place (partly) in Saudi Arabia. You can feel Quotah’s love for the country and for Jidda, even as characters push back against or resist some of the particularly conservative or patriarchal aspects of its culture.

All in all, a really lovely debut. If you like books that span decades and deal with themes of family, culture, and identity, pick this one up.
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