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Zoë Ferraris

Goodreads Author

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http://www.zoeferraris.com/

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zoeferraris

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September 2010

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Zoë Ferraris moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the first Gulf War. She lived in a conservative Muslim community with her then-husband and his family, a group of Saudi-Palestinians.

Her debut novel, Finding Nouf (published as Night of the Mi'raj in the UK) was a national and international bestseller, winner of the LA Times Book Award for First Fiction, a B&N Discover pick, an ALE Alex Award winner, and was translated and published in 45 countries. Two follow-up novels, City of Veils and Kingdom of Strangers have been published in over 35 countries. The three books have been optioned for a television series.

She has an MFA from Columbia University and currently lives in San Francisco. ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

Zoe, are there any other authors you'd recommend who write novels that are honest about the Middle East (i.e. good/bad, weaknesses/strengths, not stereotypes, etc.)? Most books that take place in the ME have western reviewers (who have little/no experience with the Arab/Muslim world) and so often the books they love, I can't stand. Thanks!

Zoë Ferraris Well shoot, there are tons of books and authors out there who do a really good job of showing the complicated, messy, hugely diverse world of the Midd…moreWell shoot, there are tons of books and authors out there who do a really good job of showing the complicated, messy, hugely diverse world of the Middle East. We could talk about this for a while. I think of Anastasia Hobbet's "Small Kingdoms" and Keija Parssinen's "The Ruins of Us." I mention them because they're excellent and a wee bit overlooked, imo. My go-to books by Middle Eastern authors are "Cities of Salt" by Abdulrahman Munif, and "The Yacoubian Building" by Alaa al-Aswany -- both not as popular as, say, Naguib Mahfouz (who I also enjoyed), but they are just as gripping. Also consider Matt Rees's Omar Yussef mysteries....

Is there anything in particular you're longing to read? Mysteries, historical novels, literary fiction? What books can't you stand? (Just curious. :-)))(less)

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So enjoyed previous titles and now Kingdom of strangers. I hope there is another in the series ? I sense that you have a lot to say about Saudi society. Maria C. Hernandez Iowa City, IA

Zoë Ferraris Maria, I am currently caught up in finishing my first children's book series, The Hunt for the Pyxis, which launches next month. I will be sure to pos…moreMaria, I am currently caught up in finishing my first children's book series, The Hunt for the Pyxis, which launches next month. I will be sure to post a notification if another Saudi mystery comes out. Thanks so much for asking!(less)

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Zoë Ferraris’s books

Average rating: 3.86 · 16,342 ratings · 2,614 reviews · 8 distinct works • Similar authors

	Finding Nouf (Nayir Sharqi & Katya Hijazi #1) 3.80 avg rating — 9,949 ratings — published 2007 — 66 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	City of Veils (Nayir Sharqi & Katya Hijazi #2) 3.94 avg rating — 4,186 ratings — published 2010 — 52 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Kingdom of Strangers (Nayir Sharqi & Katya Hijazi #3) 4.02 avg rating — 2,405 ratings — published 2012 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hunt for the Pyxis (The Galaxy Pirates #1) 3.79 avg rating — 80 ratings — published 2015 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Retro Vol. 1 No. 3 by Brian Joseph Davis (Editor), Roxane Gay (Goodreads Author), Amelia Gray (Goodreads Author) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Kingdom Of Strangers 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	BY Ferraris, Zoe ( Author ) [{ Finding Nouf By Ferraris, Zoe ( Author ) May - 06- 2009 ( Paperback ) } ] 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fiction: Reimagined Lives (2009): Los Angeles Times Festival of Books by Zoë Ferraris (Goodreads Author), David Wroblewski, Jill Bialosky (Narrator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Zoë Ferraris's Blog

The Surprising Unconscious

The second in a series of posts about you Hi everyone. Welcome back to my series about the unconscious mind, or what I call the Inner Self . This is a subject I’ve been obsessed with for a long time, because the Inner Self is literally the basis of all creativity and desire, which means that it affects all of us, all the time. And I think we completely misunderstand it—and I mean, deeply . For mos Read more of this blog post »

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Published on November 30, 2025 12:31

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Series by Zoë Ferraris

Nayir Sharqi & Katya Hijazi (3 books)
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Zoë Ferraris (Goodreads Author)

3.87 avg rating — 16,540 ratings

The Galaxy Pirates (1 book)
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Zoë Ferraris (Goodreads Author)

3.79 avg rating — 80 ratings

Zoë is Currently Reading

Zoë Ferraris is currently reading

The Betrothed

by Alessandro Manzoni

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Nov 22, 2023 11:45AM

Zoë Ferraris is currently reading

A World of Curiosities (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #18)

by Louise Penny (Goodreads Author)

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Nov 22, 2023 11:45AM

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Zoë’s Recent Updates

Zoë Ferraris wrote a new blog post Your Sensory Superpowers, Medieval Style The medieval senses were bonkers One of the things I continue to experience while researching medieval medicine is just how much their ideas resonate Read more of this blog post »
Dec 01, 2025 12:18AM · like

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Quotes by Zoë Ferraris (?)

“And like some part of himself that, two days ago, had thought pray and propriety were antidote enough to what ailed the world.”
― Zoe Ferraris, City of Veils

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“I'm sorry about what I said about the police," she said. "I know your friend works for them."

"You have reason," he said. "You don't know what they'll do, and when they become known for doing crazy things, you have no reason to trust them. That's their fault, not yours.”
― Zoe Ferraris, City of Veils

tags: police

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“I sometimes think that it’s the only way evil can truly express itself—that is, by distorting religion. It doesn’t surprise me that your killer is using Islam in his perversions. Evil tries to destroy that which is most sacred—and it always fails.”
― Zoë Ferraris, Kingdom of Strangers

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