Narinjah

Published by Dar Al-Adab, Bitter Orange Tree (Narinja) by acclaimed Omani author Jokha Alharthi—winner of the Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature—is an elegiac, beautifully layered narrative exploring grief, social status, and female agency. The story centers on Zuhour, a young Omani woman struggling with isolation while attending a university in England. Through a non-linear stream of memory, Zuhour reflects on her deep connection with "Bint Aamir," an uneducated, landless older woman who served as her matriarchal figure and surrogate grandmother. As Zuhour navigates new friendships in Great Britain—including a complex dynamic with Pakistani immigrants and fellow Omani students—the prose segues between past and present. Alharthi skillfully uses the symbol of the bitter orange tree to contrast the harsh realities of traditional Oman with the emotional displacement of modern global living.

It offers an exquisite, multi-generational portrayal of Omani women, shifting fluidly between intimate family histories and the existential solitude of studying abroad.

Ideal for readers of modern translated Middle Eastern fiction, fans of Jokha Alharthi’s Celestial Bodies, and scholars interested in diaspora studies, memory, and gender dynamics.