Shadows Beneath the Skin

About this book

In Shadows Beneath the Skin, Tabarak El-Sayed places her protagonist before unsettling questions about memory, identity and trust within a family. The smell of old firewood and the sound of a clock reopen an unresolved past, while concealed secrets disturb the image of a safe home. The novel follows the emotional consequences of discovering that a protective figure may be connected to the loss of the protagonist's name and history. Through the tension between affection, guilt and deception, it examines what happens to close relationships when familiar beliefs collapse, and what learning the truth can cost.