← Hanan al- ShaykhWomen of Sand and Myrrhby Hanan al- ShaykhNovel exploring female identity and desire in Gulf societyFind on Amazon↗About the authorHanan al- ShaykhLebanese novelist whose bold fiction about Arab women's desires and constraints brought her international recognition and controversy in equal measure. The Story of Zahra, her Lebanese civil war novel, is a landmark.More by Hanan al- ShaykhThe Story of ZahraNovel of trauma and identity during Lebanese civil conflict→Beirut BluesNovel of fragmented lives and relationships in wartime Beirut→Only in London→The Locust and the BirdMemoir blending family history with cultural displacement→