THE UNEXPECTED LOVE OBJECTS OF DUNYA NOOR

A wonderfully rich and witty debut novel, a tribute to love, youth, and Syria

Aspiring photographer Dunya Noor discovers early on that her curious spirit, rebellious nature, and very curly hair are a recipe for disaster in 1990s Syria. And at the tender age of thirteen, she is exiled to live with her grandparents in England.
Many years later in London, she meets Hilal, the son of a humble tailor from Aleppo and no match for Dunya, daughter of the great heart surgeon Joseph Noor. But dreamy, restless Dunya falls in love with Hilal and they decide to return to Syria together, embarking on a journey that will change them both forever.
Rana Haddad's satirical debut novel captures the essence of life under the Assad dictatorship, in all its rigid absurdity. With humor and an unexpected playfulness, this is a story of love and light against the forces of conservativism and oppression.

Rana Haddad grew up in Lattakia, Syria, moved to the UK as a teenager, and read English Literature at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. She has worked as a journalist for the BBC, C4, CNN, and Al Jazeera, and has also published poetry. She lives in London.