In this striking collection, Fatima El-Mazroui captures the intimate world of the Emirati fareej, where private lives unfold within closely knit communities shaped by tradition, belief and change.     

Amouna, the travelling trader whose bundle carries both goods and secrets, moves from house to house as witness, mediator and quiet power broker. The mysterious Son of the Sea drifts between legend and reality, desired and feared in equal measure. From courtyards scented with oud and cardamom to narrow lanes alive with gossip and memory, lives intersect in ways that reveal longing, betrayal, faith and resilience.

Drawing on oral storytelling while remaining firmly contemporary, El-Mazroui examines authority, motherhood, exile, desire and social expectations with clarity and psychological depth. Her prose is vivid and assured, attentive to the textures of daily life and the unspoken tensions beneath it.

Elegantly translated by Nabig Nour, Kohl Ithmid and Other Stories introduces English-language readers to a distinctive voice in modern Emirati literature.

A compelling portrait of community, myth and survival in a Gulf society undergoing profound change.