Bitter Orange Tree by Jokha Alharthi

The novel follows Zuhour, a young Omani woman studying at a British university, who finds herself caught between her isolated present in the UK and the vivid world of her memories back home. As she struggles to assimilate and form new friendships abroad, her mind constantly drifts back to Oman and her deep emotional bond with Bint Aamir, a woman she always considered her grandmother, who passed away just after Zuhour left.

Through fluid, lyrical fragments that shift between past and present, the book contrasts Zuhour’s quiet student life with the complex history of Bint Aamir, a woman who endured immense social and financial hardships. It is a beautifully woven, reflective story about female agency, the pain of immigrant isolation, and a young woman's attempt to understand the roots she came from.