A Marriage in Four Seasons: A Novel by Kathryn Abdul-baki
Published by She Writes Press on November 20, 2018
Pages: 304
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When New York couple Joy and Richard experience a devastating stillbirth, they must navigate the repercussions of their loss—including infidelity, divorce, and an illegitimate child—before finally reconciling. .
After a devastating stillbirth and longing for a second child, English professor Joy explores Granada, Spain, hoping to ease her heartbreak and rekindle her relationship with her husband, Richard. Instead, their trip leads to an erotic interlude between Joy and a handsome stranger—and Richard, filled with disappointment at his disintegrating marriage, embarks on an affair with vivacious Belinda, their tryst unfolding in a series of cheap hotel rooms. After learning of Richard’s affair, Joy divorces him and moves to Virginia. Despite her lingering bitterness over his infidelity, Joy is inspired by the centuries-old love story between Sultan Suleyman and his Russian concubine, Roxelana, and in traveling to Istanbul with Richard finds herself attracted to him anew. However, Richard has a confession: Belinda, although out of his life for several years, has had his daughter—a now-three-year-old named Karma—and, critically ill, has asked that Richard and Joy take Karma. Joy agrees to travel to Tunisia with Richard—and when they arrive, Belinda divulges the shocking truth about her daughter to Joy.
About the Author: Kathryn K. Abdul-Baki was born in Washington D.C. to a Palestinian father and American mother. She grew up in Iran, Kuwait, Beirut, and Jerusalem where she attended Arabic, British, and American schools. She attended the American University of Beirut, Lebanon for two years and earned a BA in journalism from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has an MA in creative writing from George Mason University, Virginia.
Ms. Abdul-Baki worked as a journalist and features-writer for an English weekly newspaper in Bahrain before devoting her time to writing fiction. Her published works include a collection of short stories, Fields of Fig and Olive: Ameera and Other Stories of the Middle East,and four novels, Tower of Dreams, Ghost Songs, Sands of Zulaika and A Marriage in Four Seasons. She won the Mary Roberts Rinehart award for short fiction, and her novel, Sands of Zulaika was a finalist for the Ariadne Prize. (She has also published in journals such as Confrontation, Shenandoah Review, Phoebe, Union Street Review, and WorldVision.)
Her books are taught at universities in Multicultural Literature and Arab Studies departments and she is a frequent lecturer at universities and schools on these subjects. Universities where she has lectured include Georgetown University, Mary Washington University, University of Virginia, Sarah Lawrence University, Tufts University, New York University, Grand Rapids Community College, University of Southern Maryland, St. Mary’s College, Maryland.
She has three children and resides with her husband in McLean, Virginia. She loves to dance, and teaches and performs Argentine Tango in the Washington DC area.
I have not received a copy of this book, nor have I read it. When it becomes available to me, I will most definitely be reading it. I am posting as part of the BookSparks Fall Reading Challenge 2018 (FRC#2018).
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