Oranges in the Sun. Short Stories from the Arabian Gulf (by Akers, D.S. & Abubaker A.B. 2008)
Choose one story from each Gulf country, read and write a short critical summary of the stories you have read, stressing the similarities between the male characters. Should be a total of 7 stories.

The stories offered in this book are all take place in countries in the Gulf region and each story captures the unique perspective of it author. The authors are both male and female, so each story is different in its presentation. The stories present a variety of themes, ranging from the first Gulf War, class conflict, modernity, a longing for times gone by, the Iraq war, terrorism, and social injustices.
In the Saudi Arabian story, Knowing His Secret, written by Sharifah al-Shamlan, wherein the narrator, Layla, experiences troubles in her marriage. Layla’s life was predictable and each day for her was much like the one before it, so it was easy to notice when things began to seem different. Layla’s husband, Ahmad, began to act strangely and there were suddenly odd occurrences, like the telephone ringing twice and then stopping abruptly. Layla’s co-working, Suad, suggests that perhaps Ahmad is having an affair and that Layla should consider divorcing him. When Ahmad and Suad leave on simultaneous business trips, Layla learns the truth. Ahmad returns home with Suad’s golden comb in his travel bag. Layla is finally made aware that her husband and her co-working are having an affair. Upon her realization, Layla expresses, to the reader, her sorrow for her damaged marriage and her wish that her knowledge of the affair remain a secret. She offers, “…our love is like a cracked crystal vase, only the crack is etched deep within my heart. I only wish, from the bottom of my heart, that my husband never learns that I know his secret” (al-Shamlan, 40).
In Muhammad al-Gharbi’s story,