Daughters of the Same Secret
Will be published approx. on 6. October 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-62371-539-7 (ISBN)
Description
Shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction
Constrained by the confines of her patriarchal, religiously-observant Druze community, Amal dreams of a life outside of her conservative, isolated village in Mount Lebanon, where many of life’s big questions remain ignored and unanswered.
Amal’s father, a shaykh and blacksmith, wields the hammer of his authority over the family to shape the future of his four daughters according to his
understanding of appropriate behavior for women. Her parents’ conservative beliefs stand in the way of her deepest desire—to pursue higher education and study at the American University in Beirut.
To achieve her goal of getting an education, Amal decides to strike a deal with a local, wealthy Druze businessman with a captivating smile. She bargains that Salem will help to secure her freedom. Will Salem keep his promise? Or will Amal face a new struggle to achieve her dream?
In her touching and poetic debut novel, Haneen Al-Sayegh paints a vivid picture of the little-known, isolated religious Druze community of Mount
Lebanon. Daughters of the Same Secret delves deeply into the human cost of the turmoil faced by women searching for their own path in a conservative society.
This novel is a literary contribution to the struggle for freedom in its broadest sense. It is about motherhood—as both a predicament and an
opportunity—and about love that transcends geographical, religious, and cultural boundaries.
Constrained by the confines of her patriarchal, religiously-observant Druze community, Amal dreams of a life outside of her conservative, isolated village in Mount Lebanon, where many of life’s big questions remain ignored and unanswered.
Amal’s father, a shaykh and blacksmith, wields the hammer of his authority over the family to shape the future of his four daughters according to his
understanding of appropriate behavior for women. Her parents’ conservative beliefs stand in the way of her deepest desire—to pursue higher education and study at the American University in Beirut.
To achieve her goal of getting an education, Amal decides to strike a deal with a local, wealthy Druze businessman with a captivating smile. She bargains that Salem will help to secure her freedom. Will Salem keep his promise? Or will Amal face a new struggle to achieve her dream?
In her touching and poetic debut novel, Haneen Al-Sayegh paints a vivid picture of the little-known, isolated religious Druze community of Mount
Lebanon. Daughters of the Same Secret delves deeply into the human cost of the turmoil faced by women searching for their own path in a conservative society.
This novel is a literary contribution to the struggle for freedom in its broadest sense. It is about motherhood—as both a predicament and an
opportunity—and about love that transcends geographical, religious, and cultural boundaries.
More details
Persons
Haneen Al-Sayegh is an award-winning Lebanese poet and novelist born in 1986 in Mount Lebanon. She studied English Literature at the American University of Beirut and works as a lecturer and translator. She has published three poetry books and was awarded the prestigious Naji Naaman Literary Award. Her debut novel was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. She lives in Beirut and Berlin.