Who is the artist Salma Hassan, around whom all the chapters of the novel revolve? Could she be the late artist Souad Hosni, whose death remains a puzzling mystery? The novel does not reveal many details about Salma's lineage, but it insists on keeping all possibilities open, leaving her true identity subject to much debate. It suffices with a detective-like investigation into the mystery of her death. Did she really die, was it suicide, or was she perhaps pushed to a death that remained ambiguous, resembling a strange state between natural death and a mysterious murder?

"A remarkable work, worthy of appreciation and reading. I read it with pleasure... The writer does not settle for flat, easy storytelling, but weaves documents, research, and letters into the fabric of her work, enriching the text and making the reader accompany her without boredom. A mature and distinctive novel in its specificity, uniqueness, and fresh flavor." - Emily Nasrallah

Hadia Saeed is a Lebanese writer and novelist. Some of her fictional, radio, and journalistic works have won numerous awards, and some have been translated into English, French, and German. Dar al-Saqi has published two of her novels: "Years with Iraqi Fear" and "A Revealing Hijab".

• Author: Hadia Saeed
• Publisher: Dar al-Saqi
• Year of Publication: 2006
• Number of Pages: 360
• ISBN: 9781855167711