Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea Friday, 30 April 2010 00:00 Written by Carole

Rajaa Alsanea's Girls of Riyadh is a racy Arabic take on Manhattan's Carrie & Co and the story of how four young women defy tradition and propriety in modern Riyadh.

Girls of Riyadh is a self-confessed Saudi Sex and the City, tracing the lives of four twentysomethings from the capital's wealthy 'velvet class' - clever Sadeem, dumpy Gamrah, sassy Lamees and the rebellious half-American Michelle - in a series of weekly emails sent out by a sharp-tongued and 'shamelessly' red-lipsticked narrator.

They talk in chat rooms, IM on their mobiles to their boyfriends and each other. But even with all the hip technology, they cannot escape deep-seated oppressive traditions after they return to Riyadh. Sadeem's fiancé dumps her after she has sex with him. Gamrah's husband divorces her after she discovers he is having an affair. Michelle and Faisal adore each other, but he gives her up when his family says so. The Religious Police arrest one couple in a coffee bar. But most families don't need official help to interfere in women's lives. Translated from the Arabic, this debut novel was immediately banned in Saudi Arabia. The 25-year-old Saudi writer (now studying in Chicago but planning to return home) tells it from the inside, complete with the contradictions and betrayals that define daily lfe. The Sex and the City–type drama is fast, wry, witty, and anguished. And so are the politics: "He appreciates her independence. But can't find his."