Courting Samira: A Novel

Amal Awad
Paperback, 336 pages
9780063317673

Coming from a moderately traditional Muslim family, twenty-seven-year-old Samira Abdel-Aziz has endured her fair share of arranged matches-first dates she calls "doorknock appeals," where she and her possible suitors eat snacks in her living room in the company of both sets of parents.

Her general rule: no shoes with tassels, no cheesy leather jackets, no mustaches. A girl has to have some standards, right? The truth is, Samira is already experiencing enough wedding drama as an assistant at Bridal Bazaar magazine and as a gofer for her soon-to-be-married cousin and nemesis Zahra. She's not sure she needs to add any of her own.

When she meets the charismatic Menem at a work retreat, Samira finds herself intrigued. But her best friend Lara insists Menem isn't right for her, and now her childhood friend Hakeem has begun behaving oddly. Adding to the confusion, Samira is seeking a promotion at work, yet isn't sure it's the job of her dreams.

Suddenly, her life is full of drama and complications, and she realizes that part of growing up is making difficult choices about what-and whom-she really wants.