States of Passion – Nihad Sirees

The very first Reading in Heels book I received back in November was States of Passion by Nihad Sirees.

Avid readers will know that one of my presents for my 30th birthday from the hubby was a subscription for Reading in Heels.

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The plot

The story begins on a very stormy night, a bank employee is driving home from a business trip when his car breaks down.

He’s chased by wild howling dogs as he treks through the rain until he arrives at a secluded mansion and is invited in by its elderly owner and his manservant.

When the man asks his host who he is and what brought him to live in such a remote place, it triggers what turns out to be the strangest tale he has ever heard.

It’s a tale within a tale. A tale of family secrets, lost passions, and shady dealings.

On a basic level, Sirees’s novel takes the form of a single story – a fireside yarn – recounted across five days and nights.

But what you find is actually a series of stories being unravelled.

The man is transported in time by these stories to Aleppo’s golden age – a time of art, music, wealth and laughter – and the all-female society of the banat al-ishreh, a society of women who live, love, and perform song and dance together.

And as he gradually realises how these entanglements of love and passion, cruelty and resentment, stretch across the generations, he discovers that his own life is also in very real imminent danger.

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My overall thoughts

This is an absorbing novel that celebrates the art of storytelling.

It can sometimes be a little difficult to follow as the story does jump around.

However there are points where I found myself totally gripped and wanted to keep reading on to find out what would happen next.

As Sirees’s characters tell their tales, they disclose a lot about themselves and present a valuable snapshot of a vanished world.

I’ll admit this is not the usual kind of book I reach for on the shelf but I enjoyed it but I don’t think this would be a story everyone would enjoy.

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Other related posts

Here’s my thoughts on BookBub a daily special-offers service for ebooks

My first Reading In Heels book review was Stories We Tell Ourselves by Sarah Françoise.

Here’s my thoughts on A Star is Born

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