Shaden

About this book

What a fleeting encounter in the noise of the school cafeteria! When gazes cross and time stops, nothing remains in existence but the glimmer of two eyes opening the doors of a new world. Shaden... where beauty harmonizes with the hidden struggle of the self. It is not just a novel but a transparent mirror reflecting the complications of early adolescence, the battlefields between heart and mind, and between the ambition drawn by parents and the restless desire to discover the self and love. Shaden, a girl whose name means the young gazelle raised alone, invites you to witness her transformation: from a first-year secondary student, distracted between shades of brown and blue in her eyes, to a young woman in whom a passing encounter with Adam — the Minister's son who does not resemble ordinary people — awakens an existential question about priorities and values. In the chapters of this wondrous novel written by Asmaa Ramadan Raslan, you will live an honest human experience that resembles your life or the life of someone you love. You will feel Shaden's heartbeat and hear the whispers of her two friends Jana and Talia, who represent two contradictory faces of reality. A tender, honest coming-of-age story about first love, friendship, and the price of growing up.