The Shadows of Ghadames

The Shadows of Ghadames by Joelle Stolz

At the end of the 19th century, in the Libyan city of Ghadames, Malika watches her merchant father depart on one of his caravan expeditions. Malika too yearns to travel to distant cities and she longs to learn to read like her younger brother. But nearly twelve years old and soon to be of marriageable age, Malika - like all Muslim women - must be content with a more secluded, more limited life. Then one night a stranger enters her home ... someone who disrupts the order of things, and who affects Malika in unexpected ways.

This was an interesting look at the complex culture of the families of the city of Ghadames, with it's narrow alleyways, rooftops that are inhabited only by females, mysterious customs and rites of passage.

This book reminded me of my travels in Morocco and of my time spent on the tiny island of Lamu off the coast of Kenya (both places predominately Muslim), and my parents stories of their time spent in Turkey, Iran and Lebanon. It made me dream of far off places and mint tea poured from high above the glass.