Gulf

by Mo Ogrodnik

Genres: Literary Fiction; Women's Fiction

Synopsis

A cinematic and unforgettable debut novel that casts a harsh desert light on often overlooked stories from the Arabian Gulf through the voices of five diverse women whose lives collide with devastating and profound consequences.

Five women with vastly different origins—from the Philippines to Ethiopia to New York City—must navigate the difficult but true realities as women, wives, and mothers in the unrelenting landscape of the Arabian Gulf.

From her post-weather, air-conditioned luxury home, a wealthy Saudi housewife and new mother becomes disillusioned with her marriage and rebels against all forms of domesticity. Her reign of terror affects those around her, including the newly arrived Filipina caretaker, haunted by the flood that claimed her own child as she navigates the foreign pink and brown suburban desert. A white American art curator in Abu Dhabi confronts her complicity and privilege within the region’s complex history. A lonely, isolated Syrian woman seeks love within the confines of her arranged marriage to an ISIS fighter. An Ethiopian girl strives to forge her own path after fleeing a life she didn’t want.

These are the women whose stories you never hear. These fierce women’s paths cross and tangle, revealing the complex, and sometimes devastating, landscape of the Gulf region. As each bold move unlocks new consequences, these stories expose the stark realities of what happens when a woman’s agency is stripped away.

Gulf is a book about cruelty, rebellion, resilience—and hope. It asks the question: how far would you go in order to survive?

Release date: May 6, 2025

Publisher: S&S/Summit Books

Print pages: 432