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Runaways
Two women. Two cultures. And a friendship that freed them both.
‘We don’t choose where we’re born. Geography ends up being everything.’
Shaimaa Khalil and Shelley Davidow met twenty years ago in the Middle East when Shaimaa was Shelley’s student at the University of Qatar. Strangers in a strange land where the silencing and oppression of women is deeply entrenched, they immediately formed a deep and abiding bond.
Shelley saw Shaimaa as her ‘Rosetta Stone’, helping her decode a culture and world so foreign it appeared to be from another planet. Shaimaa saw Shelley and her apartment as her ‘Tardis’, a space where she could glimpse a world she dreamed of inhabiting.
Born a decade apart on opposite ends of the African continent – Shaimaa, an Arab Muslim from Egypt and Shelley an Ashkenazi Jew from South Africa – tell the story of a friendship that has defied historical, geographic and temporal boundaries, mapping the vast emotional and geographic territories they have travelled as women pushing against patriarchal confines over the past two decades. In an exchange of words and memories, Shaimaa and Shelley recall what shaped them, what broke them, and how they made themselves whole again through their interwoven stories.
‘We don’t choose where we’re born. Geography ends up being everything.’
Shaimaa Khalil and Shelley Davidow met twenty years ago in the Middle East when Shaimaa was Shelley’s student at the University of Qatar. Strangers in a strange land where the silencing and oppression of women is deeply entrenched, they immediately formed a deep and abiding bond.
Shelley saw Shaimaa as her ‘Rosetta Stone’, helping her decode a culture and world so foreign it appeared to be from another planet. Shaimaa saw Shelley and her apartment as her ‘Tardis’, a space where she could glimpse a world she dreamed of inhabiting.
Born a decade apart on opposite ends of the African continent – Shaimaa, an Arab Muslim from Egypt and Shelley an Ashkenazi Jew from South Africa – tell the story of a friendship that has defied historical, geographic and temporal boundaries, mapping the vast emotional and geographic territories they have travelled as women pushing against patriarchal confines over the past two decades. In an exchange of words and memories, Shaimaa and Shelley recall what shaped them, what broke them, and how they made themselves whole again through their interwoven stories.
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 4, 2022
3 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 7, 2022
"Home is not where one is born; home is where all one’s attempts to escape cease.
- quote attributed to Omar Taher in Gar Na’em"
"Unlikely friends on the run. The Muslim and the Jew. The North and South African - together in their stories and they’re strife."
This book is a soul-searing love letter to the power of friendship in the face of entrenched oppression. The adversity faced will speak to all women, to the indigenous, to the disenfranchised. Shelley Davidow and Shaimaa Khalil have written a dual memoir that shares their most personal experience, framed under the shadow of the Big Bad Patriarch. They meet in Qatar, both migrants; Shelley is an Ashkenazi Jew from South Africa and Shaimaa is a Muslim Arab from Egypt. What endures is the epitome of friendship goals. Both analyse and then co-analyse their experiences between alternating chapters with the deepest form of empathy I have ever been honoured to share in. They explore the violence and harassment every girl eventually is subjected to. They look at the hypocritical views of the idyllic West against the Arab world Shaimaa comes from and Shelley lived in for over a decade. Their personal stories are framed by their day to day interactions particularly with the women around them and also by major world events, such as 9/11. Their weaving of their stories together, the back and forth narrative, is a powerful healing experience - one that should not be missed.
This feminist book is a MUST read. I devoured it within 24 hours. And I sadly feel like my review will not do the beautiful complexity of this book justice. This book inspires me to find strength in my voice, to never be quiet for the sake of others, particularly men. I will be shouting about this one from the rooftops. Highly recommend - feminists reading this novel will find a place of solidarity and encourage their undying rage against the patriarchy.
"But silence is an effective weapon. When you take away the voice, you take away the words. When you take away the words, you take away the story. And then a whole narrative and existence is written for you as a woman by a society that’s sees you as a creature of a certain function or creature of inconvenience- or most commonly a source of shame."
Thank you to Harper Collins NZ for trusting me with this book for an honest review.
- quote attributed to Omar Taher in Gar Na’em"
"Unlikely friends on the run. The Muslim and the Jew. The North and South African - together in their stories and they’re strife."
This book is a soul-searing love letter to the power of friendship in the face of entrenched oppression. The adversity faced will speak to all women, to the indigenous, to the disenfranchised. Shelley Davidow and Shaimaa Khalil have written a dual memoir that shares their most personal experience, framed under the shadow of the Big Bad Patriarch. They meet in Qatar, both migrants; Shelley is an Ashkenazi Jew from South Africa and Shaimaa is a Muslim Arab from Egypt. What endures is the epitome of friendship goals. Both analyse and then co-analyse their experiences between alternating chapters with the deepest form of empathy I have ever been honoured to share in. They explore the violence and harassment every girl eventually is subjected to. They look at the hypocritical views of the idyllic West against the Arab world Shaimaa comes from and Shelley lived in for over a decade. Their personal stories are framed by their day to day interactions particularly with the women around them and also by major world events, such as 9/11. Their weaving of their stories together, the back and forth narrative, is a powerful healing experience - one that should not be missed.
This feminist book is a MUST read. I devoured it within 24 hours. And I sadly feel like my review will not do the beautiful complexity of this book justice. This book inspires me to find strength in my voice, to never be quiet for the sake of others, particularly men. I will be shouting about this one from the rooftops. Highly recommend - feminists reading this novel will find a place of solidarity and encourage their undying rage against the patriarchy.
"But silence is an effective weapon. When you take away the voice, you take away the words. When you take away the words, you take away the story. And then a whole narrative and existence is written for you as a woman by a society that’s sees you as a creature of a certain function or creature of inconvenience- or most commonly a source of shame."
Thank you to Harper Collins NZ for trusting me with this book for an honest review.
December 22, 2022
This book broke my heart over and over again. There are far too many words I could use to describe it, so I will narrow it down to these three: inspiring, emotional and honest. There were multiple occasions where I was brought to the verge of tears learning about the things these brave women had gone through. I learned so much about culture, tradition and perspective while reading this book. It is written with such passion and strength. I felt the power that it holds seeping through me from the very first page, to the very last. The only thing I can criticize is that there were parts of the story that were a tad repetitive. Altogether I found this an incredible read as well as an eye opener.
January 11, 2023
Runaways was captivating at first, providing a glimpse into life in Egypt, South Africa, and Qatar, but eventually the narration style began to hinder rather than help the book. It’s written almost like a letter between two friends, so many of the chapters overlap and become repetitive. For a book that’s touted as one about friendship, it didn’t focus much on the subject—the friendship could’ve been easily removed and the book could’ve still told its story (stories? The two separate POVs weren’t that intertwined). When it came to the friendship, there was also way more telling than showing, and by the end of the book I started skimming.
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March 27, 2024My heart shattered so many times over reading this novel geometry dash world. I could describe it with way too many adjectives, but I'll stick to these three: honest, heartfelt, and motivating. I found myself on the edge of tears several times when I heard of the struggles these courageous ladies had faced. Reading this book taught me so much about perspective, society, and customs. It is written with such vigor and passion.
August 8, 2022
Unique memoir about the intersection of culture, geography and faith, yet united by feminism. The structure and flow could be improved upon but interesting insights abound, particularly into life in Doha, South Africa and Egypt.
June 25, 2024
A story about female friendship, feminism, overcoming hardships, and leaving ‘home’ for a better life but also not really feeling like you belong anywhere (same girl, same).
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews