Pillars of Salt By Fadia Faqir

Pillars of Salt is the story of two women confined to a mental hospital in Jordan during and after the British Mandate. Maha, a peasant woman from the Jordan Valley, and Um Saad from Amman find themselves sharing a room. After initial tension they become friends and exchange their life stories.

Maha's version of history, which is told from the inside, is framed by the narrative of the storyteller who reports as an outsider. Maha's husband Harb was the love of her life and his death has serious repercussions for her. Um-Saad does not survive domestic repression and her husband’s betrayal, who brought home a young second wife, Yusra.