Camellia packed her bags in Dubai to pursue studies at the University of Queensland. The conscientious 17-year-old had only one goal before leaving her family and homeland – to graduate with flying colours and preserve her family’s honour by always doing the right thing.
But within a few days of student life, she has lost herself and all her good intentions to love. A 20-year-old journalism student – Saif – has stolen her heart. At first, falling in love seems magical to the unworldly Camellia. But all to soon, she realises that she is caught in an infatuation.
"Stories such as this happen a lot, but they are kept between friends and families, rarely shared in public," says Daawy, an Emirati and the author of From the Capital With Love. "Falling in love is not prohibited in Islam because it is a feeling. But often people who fall in love stray far from pure or good intentions."
In her debut novel, the author, who writes under a pseudonym, hopes to present some very real challenges faced by young people and Emirati society.
“Some of our girls are innocent and when they fall in love, they’d do anything to protect that relationship. Usually, their reward is heartache,” she tells me.
Prior to writing From the Capital, Daawy had three short stories published in English-language anthologies abroad. "I wrote the book in English because English is an international language and everyone will have access to it," says the 27 year-old, a mother of three, who wants to build bridges between the Arabic and English worlds. Through her book, Daawy says she wants to take the opportunity to tell people about the culture of the UAE and its traditions and practices, as well as highlighting modern social issues such as infertility, inter-family conflict and polygamy. "I wanted to encapsulate some of the aspects of my country," Daawy explains.
She is critical of books that go against local cultural and religious norms.
“In my novel, the protagonist knows that she is involved in an illicit relationship, and soon comes to her senses and fulfils her real goal in coming to Australia.
“Unfortunately, some editors encourage negative themes because there’s the idea that this kind of content gets more attention for a potential audience.”
Daawy says that she first had the idea for her story five years ago, and it has been germinating ever since. “I always imagined, for example, former lovers standing in silence when they meet each other for the first time in years,” she says. “I included this scenario in the book.”
It took her about six months to write the story and go through the editing process: “Weaving the strands together was not an easy adventure. I was asked several times to add and remove chapters.”
But researching what life is like in Brisbane was the greatest challenge. “I have never been to Australia, but I wanted my information to be accurate,” she says. She sought help from her brother-in-law, who is a student at the University of Queensland. “I also asked him about the courses and some of the restaurants. I aimed to set the scene and involve my readers in the story.”
The plot is pure fiction but the story tackles an issue that will sound familiar to many Emiratis. Finding a suitor is more complicated than ever according to the author. “Years ago, tribalism meant that finding a suitor was not a stressful task,” Daawy says. “Today, young people face more pressure when the time comes to get married.”
The author didn’t want the characters to fall in love in their homeland. Why not? She explains that such a liaison between a boy and girl would be difficult in the tight-knit, local community where everyone knows each other in one way or another. So, she decided to set the stage for her characters in Australia where they’d be away from the watchful eyes of Emirati society.
Readers cannot fail to notice the extraordinary amount of time that Camellia spends expressing her love for Saif. Camellia is the narrator of the story and an emotional one. “This is because she was still a teenager and naive. She is sincere in her love and heedless of other [negative] possibilities,” Daawy says, almost to excuse her heroine.
In contrast, Daawy feels some Arab men are not sincere in their love. “When they have to make a choice between choosing a partner they like or their parents like, they’d usually go with their parents’ choice.”
But what makes the woman’s heartache even worse, she says, is when a man breaks his promises without any explanation. “They think that by disappearing and cutting off all contact with her, it will solve the problem. This is what happens in the many cases I know of,” she says.
“The situation might not be new to many Emiratis, as you hear these stories but I wanted women who have undergone similar circumstances not to lose hope. Instead, they should stand up and aim to be a better person.
“I also wanted to show how many men regret betraying innocent girls,” she says. “In the book, Saif regrets what he did and in the end, Camellia is victorious against him.” To give away any more would spoil the plot. Curious readers will be able to find it in local Borders and Magrudy’s stores.
Asmaa Al Hameli is a features writer at The National.