Audiobooks by Hanan Al-Shaykh

I Am Heathcliff

16 modern fiction superstars shine a startling light on the romance and pain of the infamous literary pair Heathcliff and Cathy. Short stories to stir the heart and awaken vital conversation about love. Sixteen stories inspired by Wuthering Heights. In 'Terminus' a young woman hides in an empty Brighton hotel; in 'Thicker Than Blood' a man sits in a hot tub stalking his newly-married love on social media; and in 'A bird half-eaten' an amateur boxer prepares for a match. A woman recalls the 'Heathcliffs I Have Known' and the physical danger she has borne at their hands; in 'Anima' a child and a fox are unified in one startling moment of violence; and in 'One Letter Different' two teenagers walk the moors and face up to their respective buried secrets. Curated by Kate Mosse and commissioned for Emily Brontë's bicentenary year in 2018, these fresh, modern stories pulse with the raw beauty and pain of love and are as timely as they are illuminating. The full list of contributors is: Leila Aboulela, Hanan Al-Shaykh, Joanna Cannon, Alison Case, Juno Dawson, Louise Doughty, Sophie Hannah, Anna James, Erin Kelly, Dorothy Koomson, Grace McCleen, Lisa McInerney, Laurie Penny, Nikesh Shukla, Michael Stewart and Louisa Young.

Alison Case, Anna James, Hanan Al-Shaykh, Joanna Cannon, Juno Dawson, Kate Mosse, Leila Aboulela, Louisa Young, Louise Doughty, Nikesh Shukla, Sophie Hannah (Author), Dami Olukoya, Freddie Gaminara, Karen Cogan, Lara Sawalha, Lucy Brownhill (Narrator)

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The Occasional Virgin: A Novel

In this frank and fearless novel, acclaimed writer Hanan al-Shaykh follows the tumultuous lives and sometimes shocking choices of women successful in their careers but unlucky in love.   On a sunny beach on the Italian Riviera, two thirtysomething women, Yvonne and Huda, relax by the sparkling sea. But despite the setting, as their vacation unfolds, their complicated pasts seep through to the idyllic present. Both women spent their childhoods in Lebanon-Yvonne raised in a Christian family, Huda in a Muslim one-and they now find themselves torn between the traditional worlds they were born into and the successful professional identities they've created.   Three months later, when Huda (a theater director from Toronto) visits Yvonne (an advertising executive) in London, a chance encounter with a man at Speaker's Corner leads to profound repercussions for them both. As the novel continues, each woman will undertake her own quest for love and romance, revenge and fulfillment. Witty and wry, The Occasional Virgin is a poignant and perceptive tale for our time.

Hanan Al-Shaykh (Author), Soneela Nankani (Narrator)

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