More than two decades after moving to Saudi Arabia and marrying Abdullah Baylani, Rosalie learns that her husband has taken a second wife, beautiful Palestinian Isra. The discovery plunges the powerful family into chaos as Rosalie grapples with leaving Saudi Arabia, her life, and her family behind. Driven by anger and heartache, she plots her departure, soliciting fellow American and Abdullah's best friend, lonely divorcé Dan Coleman, to help her. Meanwhile, Abdullah and Rosalie's consuming personal entanglements blind them to the crisis approaching their sixteen-year-old son Faisal, whose deepening resentment towards their lifestyle has led to his growing involvement with a controversial Sheikh. When Faisal makes an ill-fated choice that could destroy everything his embattled family holds dear, all must confront difficult truths as they fight to preserve what remains of their love.
The Ruins of Us
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Trade in The Ruins of Us for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more
|
Book Description
Special Offers and Product Promotions
-
Seasonal Offer:
This title is part of our Seasonal Offers promotion.
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
'An intelligent, complex story of interfaith marriage...a book that balances nail-biting tension with lyrical intent.'Guardian
Having been brought up in Saudi Arabia, [Parssinen] knows the background and writes boldly and unsentimentally of a family's predicament at the edge of cultural fault lines.'
Sunday Times
'A compelling debut about the heartbreak that shakes a family when an American woman discovers her Saudi husband has taken a second wife.' --Marie Claire
'Keija Parssinen evokes the landscape of Saudia Arabia with a deftness, precision and lucidity which make for an utterly absorbing read. Turning the same clear-eyed, unflinching gaze on her characters she captures, too, the nuances of their love and despair, their faiths and betrayals, the vagaries of the human heart. The Ruins of Us is an extremely assured and impressive debut.' --Lucy Caldwell, author of The Meeting Point
'The Ruins of Us is a stunning debut novel--a love story that spans continents. Writing with kindness and longing about Saudi Arabia and Sugar Land, Texas, Parssinen teaches us that while cultural differences run deep, when it comes to matters of the heart, we are all the same. I was dazzled by this book.' --Amanda Eyre Ward, author of Close Your Eyes
'The Ruins of Us is an arresting story of family and country. Parssinen's characters are richly conceived and her evocative petrol universe of wealth, privilege, and intrigue is unforgettable. Powerful storytelling that is refreshing and entertaining.' --Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead
'The Ruins of Us is an arresting story of family and country. Parssinen's characters are richly conceived and her evocative petrol universe of wealth, privilege, and intrigue is unforgettable. Powerful storytelling that is refreshing and entertaining.' --Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead
'Keija Parssinen evokes the landscape of Saudia Arabia with a deftness, precision and lucidity which make for an utterly absorbing read. Turning the same clear-eyed, unflinching gaze on her characters she captures, too, the nuances of their love and despair, their faiths and betrayals, the vagaries of the human heart. The Ruins of Us is an extremely assured and impressive debut.' --Lucy Caldwell, author of The Meeting Point
'The Ruins of Us is a stunning debut novel--a love story that spans continents. Writing with kindness and longing about Saudi Arabia and Sugar Land, Texas, Parssinen teaches us that while cultural differences run deep, when it comes to matters of the heart, we are all the same. I was dazzled by this book.' --Amanda Eyre Ward, author of Close Your Eyes
'The Ruins of Us is an arresting story of family and country. Parssinen's characters are richly conceived and her evocative petrol universe of wealth, privilege, and intrigue is unforgettable. Powerful storytelling that is refreshing and entertaining.' --Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead
'The Ruins of Us is an arresting story of family and country. Parssinen's characters are richly conceived and her evocative petrol universe of wealth, privilege, and intrigue is unforgettable. Powerful storytelling that is refreshing and entertaining.' --Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead
Having been brought up in Saudi Arabia, [Parssinen] knows the background and writes boldly and unsentimentally of a family's predicament at the edge of cultural fault lines.'
Sunday Times
'A compelling debut about the heartbreak that shakes a family when an American woman discovers her Saudi husband has taken a second wife.' --Marie Claire
'Keija Parssinen evokes the landscape of Saudia Arabia with a deftness, precision and lucidity which make for an utterly absorbing read. Turning the same clear-eyed, unflinching gaze on her characters she captures, too, the nuances of their love and despair, their faiths and betrayals, the vagaries of the human heart. The Ruins of Us is an extremely assured and impressive debut.' --Lucy Caldwell, author of The Meeting Point
'The Ruins of Us is a stunning debut novel--a love story that spans continents. Writing with kindness and longing about Saudi Arabia and Sugar Land, Texas, Parssinen teaches us that while cultural differences run deep, when it comes to matters of the heart, we are all the same. I was dazzled by this book.' --Amanda Eyre Ward, author of Close Your Eyes
'The Ruins of Us is an arresting story of family and country. Parssinen's characters are richly conceived and her evocative petrol universe of wealth, privilege, and intrigue is unforgettable. Powerful storytelling that is refreshing and entertaining.' --Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead
'The Ruins of Us is an arresting story of family and country. Parssinen's characters are richly conceived and her evocative petrol universe of wealth, privilege, and intrigue is unforgettable. Powerful storytelling that is refreshing and entertaining.' --Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead
'Keija Parssinen evokes the landscape of Saudia Arabia with a deftness, precision and lucidity which make for an utterly absorbing read. Turning the same clear-eyed, unflinching gaze on her characters she captures, too, the nuances of their love and despair, their faiths and betrayals, the vagaries of the human heart. The Ruins of Us is an extremely assured and impressive debut.' --Lucy Caldwell, author of The Meeting Point
'The Ruins of Us is a stunning debut novel--a love story that spans continents. Writing with kindness and longing about Saudi Arabia and Sugar Land, Texas, Parssinen teaches us that while cultural differences run deep, when it comes to matters of the heart, we are all the same. I was dazzled by this book.' --Amanda Eyre Ward, author of Close Your Eyes
'The Ruins of Us is an arresting story of family and country. Parssinen's characters are richly conceived and her evocative petrol universe of wealth, privilege, and intrigue is unforgettable. Powerful storytelling that is refreshing and entertaining.' --Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead
'The Ruins of Us is an arresting story of family and country. Parssinen's characters are richly conceived and her evocative petrol universe of wealth, privilege, and intrigue is unforgettable. Powerful storytelling that is refreshing and entertaining.' --Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead
Book Description
A stunning debut novel about the turmoil and heartbreak that rocks a family when an American wife discovers her Saudi husband has taken a second bride.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Sam
Format:Paperback
The Ruins of Us hits the ground running. Rosalie, an American woman married to a Saudi man, Abdullah, is shopping for a gift for her daughter when the shop-keeper casually asks if she enjoyed the anniversary gift her husband bought recently. Knowing that the gift was not for her, it doesn't take Rosalie long to find out that her husband has secretly taken a second wife, Isra. The after-shocks of this revelation are the real meat of the story as everyone in the family is affected. Rosalie must decide what to do whilst Abdullah hides behind the shield of tradition. Their daughter feels oppressed by the contradiction between her upbringing and the rigid rules for Saudi women but it is their son, Faisal, who is holding a deep resentment against his mother and her American-ness. As he becomes further drawn into extremist activity, events start to spin out of control.
The Ruins of Us is an impressive novel that straddled several genres comfortably. Different chapters in the book are told from the different perspectives of each of the main characters and Parssinen managed to make each voice distinct. I was particularly drawn to the story of Faisal as he became radicalised and this remained undetected by his family. Parssinen did a fantastic job of showing how bored, wealthy young men are often easy targets for extremists- in the news here it's not unusual to hear of young men from moderate, successful families ending up in terrorist training camps abroad, and I felt that this part of the story showed real insight. Faisal's guilt at being half-American was easily manipulated and used against him as he was desperate to become more Saudi and more Muslim. As his family struggled to deal with their own issues, no one noticed what was happening to him as he started to idealise poverty and suffering and rebel against his wealthy upbringing.
Parssinen also successfully showed the emotions that each family member went through as they came to terms with Abdullah taking a second wife. I felt for Rosalie, even if I couldn't understand her choices. Having grown up on an oil reserve in Saudi Arabia, she was as much in love with the country as she was with Abdullah. There was also some good examination about what it means to truly belong somewhere, and to be caught between two very different cultures.
One criticism I will make is that I wanted to hear more from Rosalie and Abdullah's daughter, Mariam. Whereas Faisal was rebelling by becoming more extremist, Mariam was busy fighting the strict rules for women in Saudi Arabia by decorating her abaya (outer covering worn by Saudi women) and writing an anonymous blog. These issues about life for women in Saudi Arabia were just touched upon through the characters of Mariam and Rosalie and I would have liked to see some more examination. But this is just a minor criticism - I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look out for more by the author in the future.
The Ruins of Us is an impressive novel that straddled several genres comfortably. Different chapters in the book are told from the different perspectives of each of the main characters and Parssinen managed to make each voice distinct. I was particularly drawn to the story of Faisal as he became radicalised and this remained undetected by his family. Parssinen did a fantastic job of showing how bored, wealthy young men are often easy targets for extremists- in the news here it's not unusual to hear of young men from moderate, successful families ending up in terrorist training camps abroad, and I felt that this part of the story showed real insight. Faisal's guilt at being half-American was easily manipulated and used against him as he was desperate to become more Saudi and more Muslim. As his family struggled to deal with their own issues, no one noticed what was happening to him as he started to idealise poverty and suffering and rebel against his wealthy upbringing.
Parssinen also successfully showed the emotions that each family member went through as they came to terms with Abdullah taking a second wife. I felt for Rosalie, even if I couldn't understand her choices. Having grown up on an oil reserve in Saudi Arabia, she was as much in love with the country as she was with Abdullah. There was also some good examination about what it means to truly belong somewhere, and to be caught between two very different cultures.
One criticism I will make is that I wanted to hear more from Rosalie and Abdullah's daughter, Mariam. Whereas Faisal was rebelling by becoming more extremist, Mariam was busy fighting the strict rules for women in Saudi Arabia by decorating her abaya (outer covering worn by Saudi women) and writing an anonymous blog. These issues about life for women in Saudi Arabia were just touched upon through the characters of Mariam and Rosalie and I would have liked to see some more examination. But this is just a minor criticism - I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look out for more by the author in the future.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Loved this book. Have read several books set in Saudi Arabia recently and this was one of the best, Would recommend.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I wasn't sure how I would re-act to this novel but it was an amazing insight into Saudi Arabian culture from an author who had first hand knowledge. The fact that Keija Parssinen had experienced the two different cultures of both America and Saudi Arabia meant that we were treated to a genuine appraisal of how different life is in the Middle East. The question is whether an American woman who goes to live in Saudi Arabia can adapt to her Saudi husband's lifestyle and whether their children will be affected by any difficulties that may arise between their parents, due to the different cultures? A brilliant first novel.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 39 reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
Over written and boring. Characters not fleshed out and plot contrived. A very disappointing read. However some loved it at our book club.
Published 2 months ago by Miranda J Fellows
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read
This is a brilliant first novel from a real wordsmith. The storyline is developed quickly and the personalities of all characters become evident from dialogue without reams of... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Robin Simpson
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
