A Veiled Journey

Don Mills, ON, Canada: Mira Books, 1999. Mass Market Paperback. Fine. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. A five-year stay in Saudi Arabia inspired this powerful debut novel, set in a land where, as depicted by Brien, women are virtual prisoners in their own homes. With heart-breaking details only someone who has lived there could know, Nell Brien conveys the haunting beauty and raw savagery of Saudi Arabia.Liz Ryan grew up knowing she was adopted, but it never held much significance for her. Happy with her loving parents, her life in L.A. and her career as an up-and-coming surgeon, Liz has everything she's always wanted. Until she finds out the truth. Learning that her birth mother was a Saudi Arabian concubine who gave up her infant daughter to save the child's life, Liz takes a journey that will change her destiny. She accepts a job in a hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and begins her serach for her birth mother. Before long, Liz is drawn into the plight of a people on the brink of war. And into the intimate and hostile world of the women behind the veils. "A Veiled Journey is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. Having lived in Saudi Arabia, I was curious as to how accurate the story would be. I think it could only have been written by one who had actually experienced Saudi first-hand." - Laura Rottmayer, Florida, USA. 400 pages. R99 on ffep..