When Mahmoud Abd El Zahir is sent to govern the remote Egyptian oasis of Siwa in the late 1890s, he knows the danger he faces – two of his predecessors were murdered. But having been accused of disloyalty to the current regime and its British overlords, he has little choice. Rather than stay behind in Cairo, his Irish wife Catherine insists on going too, hoping to reinvigorate their relationship.

Once at Siwa, Mahmoud finds himself not only fiercely resented but caught between two warring factions, while Catherine, with her Western ways and seemingly avaricious interest in the local archaeological sites, succeeds in alienating the entire community – all except for a beautiful young woman, herself an outcast, whose attempt at friendship spells disaster.

In this fascinating novel, Bahaa Taher weaves together several voices to capture a society at war with itself and a marriage in trouble. At once a complex tale of love and an exploration of power, occupation and rebellion, Sunset Oasis tells of people struggling to free themselves from the grip of the past. It is a striking, haunting work by one of the Arab world’s most celebrated writers.

We have the first chapter for you to read, and if you read it, you will be able to answer the competition question below for a chance to win one of thirty-five copies we have to give away – so then you can read the rest!

Read the first chapter of Sunset Oasis now

The question

Now you’ve read the extract, enter the competition by answering the following question:

How will Mahmoud and his wife travel to his new posting?

a. A Bedouin caravan

b. A Matrouh caravan

c. A Kerdasa caravan

Enter now

Competition rules

1. Closing date for entries: 28th September 2009.
2. Open to residents of the United Kingdom only.
3. Entry to the competition is by completion of the above form only.
4. The winners will be chosen at random from those correct entries received before the closing date.
5. Only the winning entrants will be contacted by Bookhugger. Our decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
6. The winner’s name(s) and entries may be published on the Bookhugger website after the closing date of the competition.
7. The competition is not open to Bookhugger employees and their families, or to employees of Bookhugger publishers and their families.

1. sassyele Says:
   September 7th, 2009 at 10:53 am

   super competition with a great prize – i read the first chapter on here and would love to continue! xx

2. kohsamui14 Says:
   September 7th, 2009 at 12:51 pm

   I love these desert theme books.. I grew up in the middle east and nothing beats sandunes and sunshine

3. Bev Says:
   September 21st, 2009 at 1:07 pm

   I am now heading to Amazon to add this to my wishlist. Sounds brilliant and I was gutted when I came to the end of the sample chapter!

4. whitty999 (twitter) Says:
   September 24th, 2009 at 1:07 am

   Thnaks i have entered now what to read the rest of the book with such a great first chapter,also tweeted about the comp.

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