Eman Quotah discusses her acclaimed debut novel with Leyla Shokoohe

About Bride of the Sea: During a snowy Cleveland February, newlywed university students Muneer and Saeedah are expecting their first child, and he is harboring a secret: the word divorce is whispering in his ear. Soon, their marriage will end, and Muneer will return to Saudi Arabia, while Saeedah remains in Cleveland with their daughter, Hanadi. Consumed by a growing fear of losing her daughter, Saeedah disappears with the little girl, leaving Muneer to desperately search for his daughter for years. The repercussions of the abduction ripple outward, not only changing the lives of Hanadi and her parents, but also their interwoven family and friends—those who must choose sides and hide their own deeply guarded secrets.

“Bride of the Sea displays the breadth and scope of grand family epics such as Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, as we see a family move in rhythm with a larger history.”--Chicago Review of Books

Eman Quotah grew up in Jidda, Saudi Arabia, and Cleveland, Ohio. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today,The Toast, The Establishment, Book Riot, and other publications. She lives with her family in Washington, DC.

Leyla Shokoohe is the director of communications with the Cincinnati Bar Association as well as an award-winning journalist. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati and the daughter of an Iranian immigrant father and Italian-American mother, she is deeply familiar with straddling cultural lines.