Book Review; Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi

A while ago, I read the historical novel Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi from Oman, and today I'll post my review of the book.

Description from Goodreads

Winner of the Man Booker International Prize 2019

Celestial Bodies is set in the village of al-Awafi in Oman, where we encounter three sisters: Mayya, who marries Abdallah after a heartbreak; Asma, who marries from a sense of duty; and Khawla who rejects all offers while waiting for her beloved, who has emigrated to Canada. These three women and their families witness Oman evolve from a traditional, slave-owning society slowly redefining itself after the colonial era, to the crossroads of its complex present.

Elegantly structured and taut, Celestial Bodies is a coiled spring of a novel, telling of Oman’s coming-of-age through the prism of one family’s losses and loves.

My Thoughts on the Book

While Celestial Bodies was an interesting read, I sometimes struggles keeping the timeline straight as it went back and forth and between characters, which lead me to be a tad bit confused at times. The book is still well-written though, as one can see the progress between the "before" and "after", and it's worth the read nontheless.