With its multinational population and rapidly evolving urban and rural landscapes, the UAE is one of the most dynamic countries in the world.
More than 180 languages are spoken across the country, with each community bringing its own food, customs and traditions. The result is a place where cultures co-exist, one where many writers have found inspiration.
It is little surprise that a wide range of books have been set in the UAE, capturing different aspects of life here. While some lean on familiar tropes or exaggerated portrayals, others offer more thoughtful and nuanced perspectives.
Here, we round up a selection of books set in and around the UAE, each offering a distinct take on the country – from supernatural tales and spy capers to stories grounded in everyday life.
Not The Woman You Think by Hazel Calder
Hazel Calder's new book, Not The Woman You Think, is set in Dubai, and follows a marketing executive Harriet, 40, who seems to be living the perfect life.
With a successful career, fabulous apartment and a long-term partner, her life appears to be everything she ever wanted. Behind the polish, however, there is a quiet truth: everything is not as it seems.
She writes an anonymous tale of her life, exposing the fragile reality behind the facade. It becomes an unexpected best seller, and as speculation grows around who the author could be, Harriet must navigate the consequences of her actions.
The Sand Fish by Maha Gargash
Set in 1950s Dubai, The Sand Fish tells the story of Noora, 17, who is sent from her family home in the mountains to become the third wife of a much older pearl merchant.
Capturing the last days of the UAE before the discovery of oil changes everything, this examines freedom, independence, the ancient culture around pearl diving and a now vanished era.
Layover in Dubai by Dan Fesperman
A fast-paced spy novel, Layover In Dubai follows Sam Keller, who is tasked with unearthing secrets on company employees when they travel. Finding himself in hedonistic Dubai, he is caught up in a murder and must deal with a labyrinth of mobsters, crooked cops and gold smugglers.
Action-packed and suspenseful, this is the clash of old and new.
Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan
A series of interconnected short stories rather than a traditional novel, Temporary People offers a surreal glimpse into the lives of migrant workers in the UAE, many of them from South Asia and part of the country’s vast expat population.
Merging invention with satire, the book follows construction workers who morph into suitcases to escape labour camps; a man who “grows” staff who live for 12 years; a woman who pieces together the bodies of men killed in falls from skyscrapers; and a detergent salesman dressed as a clown. The result is an unsettling, imaginative portrait of lives often overlooked.
Alif the Unseen by G Willow Wilson
A cyberpunk tale tied to the Empty Quarter, this novel follows Alif, an Arab-Indian Alif hacker who provides security to entities hostile to Arab states.
He uncovers a book penned by ancient djinn, which could reveal the key to quantum computing and soon Alif finds himself battling foes both real and ghostly.
The Diesel by Thani Al-Suwaidi
Written as a stream-of-consciousness, The Diesel is a book about djinn, and ultimately, shifting identities.
Set in a pre-oil Emirate village, it looks at how people, villages and society changed with the arrival of the wealth of oil, driven by a long dormant djinn, The Diesel.
First published in 1994, it foresaw the search for identity that resulted in the Arab Spring uprisings and how culture around the Gulf has altered forever.
Turbulence by Hafsa Lodi
Lodi's second book, Turbulence, tells the story of Dunya and how her world changes when she falls in love.
Pregnant with her second child and seated apart from her family on a flight from Dubai to New York, she reflects on the choices that led her here and the quiet domesticity of her life in the Middle East. A dramatic discovery on board triggers early labour, forcing an impossible choice.This is a smart look at how feminism, faith, ambition and culture collide.
Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger
Born in Ethiopia, British explorer Wilfred Thesiger seemingly felt more at home in the Middle East than he ever did in the UK, and the book Arabian Sands is the retelling of his journey through the stark wilderness of the Empty Quarter.
The first Westerner to complete the perilous journey, he made two crossings in total. The first in 1946–1947, saw him journey from Salalah in Oman to the Liwa Oasis and back again, while in 1947–1948 he journeyed from Yemen to Abu Dhabi. This book covers both journeys, undertaken in a camel caravan with Rashid and Bayt Kathir Bedouin, documenting the beauty and culture of a now vanished world.
