From one of the most highly regarded contemporary Arab writers, a wonderfully comic and touching novel about four people seeking love and liberty in London’s burgeoning Arab communityOn a flight from Dubai to London a sudden turbulence throws together four people from different corners of the Arab world: beautiful, lost Lamis, recently divorced from her wealthy Iraqi husband; Nicholas, a Sotheby’s expert on Islamic daggers; Amira, a bossy Moroccan prostitute; and Samir, who is worried about the monkey he has hidden in a basket under his seat. As they settle into London, their lives continue to intertwine: Samir moves in with Amira but spends his time dreaming of blond boys; Amira masquerades as an Arab princess to entice clients at the Dorchester Hotel; and Nicholas and Lamis begin a passionate affair.Their stories are funny, tender, and sexy; rich with observations about exile and return, love and language, art and identity. Through them Hanan al-Shaykh captures a unique and vital London, a place where Arab and Western cultures both collide head-on and blend together in wonderfully engaging ways.