When Lilas Taha decided to follow her dream and write a novel, outwardly it was no different a process to that which countless aspiring authors have undertaken.
But though literary history is littered with examples of frustrated writers ditching their day jobs for the lure of the written word – in Taha’s case, she is an electrical engineer by training – not many have the kind of rich background she could draw on.
Born in Kuwait to a Syrian mother and a Palestinian father, she left for the United States after the Gulf War.
“When I saw what was happening in Syria, that’s when I started writing,” she says. “Watching these horrendous images on television, knowing these people and places, I just needed to express myself. Honestly, I initially had no intention of publishing anything.”
Still, she nervously showed a few people her early drafts and they gradually developed into her first book, Shadows of Damascus, which explored the relationship between a young American soldier and a Syrian girl who marry to escape the atrocities in her home country. Naturally their story isn't a straightforward one.
Published by a small American, independent, royalty-paying, romantic-fiction publisher last year, the book caught the attention of Bloomsbury, who signed her up for a follow-up, which will be published on Thursday.
Bitter Almonds, then, is a much bigger deal in all senses of the word.
"Looking back, Shadows of Damascus feels like a training wheel now," Taha says from her home in Texas. "I'm absolutely over the moon to have this opportunity to tell this story to the world."
Looking as far back as Jerusalem in 1948 and chronicling nearly 20 years in the lives of Palestinian exiles in Damascus searching for a sense of home, Bitter Almonds is also a much more ambitious novel. But Taha hesitates to describe it as a novel of particularly epic political or social scope.
“If you’re Palestinian, you can’t escape politics,” she says. “But people do go on with their lives, they have the same emotions as everyone else – they just adjust to their circumstances.
“That doesn’t belittle the sense of loss they often have, it’s just that I really wanted to show they have always been regular people, too. The human desire to keep going is elemental to the book. They find a way to make a better life for their children.”
Such emphasis on deeply human experiences means that, much like Shadows of Damascus, there is a love story at Bitter Almonds' heart. Taha has no qualms about that.
“Isn’t there always a love story in life?” she asks with a smile.
In the book, orphaned Omar’s gradually developing love for a young refugee keeps him sane amid the chaos of displacement and exile – life-changing situations that both of Taha’s books have explored – so it’s no surprise to learn that she understands those feelings more keenly than most.
Bitter Almonds, she reveals, started out as a way of engaging her father, who became depressed after emigrating three times and suffering with health problems. Sadly, he died just a few months before Taha signed her deal with Bloomsbury.
“Exile defines me,” she says. “I was born and grew up in Kuwait to parents from Palestine and Syria so that identity has always been part of me, always there. Even though they never rammed home my heritage, I do feel Palestinian. When you see what’s happening in these places and you’re living far away, it’s crippling, honestly.” So novel writing has become Taha’s crutch, which is all the more impressive given that her first written language was Arabic.
She admits she had doubts about language, voice and structure, but emotional and practical support from local writers’ groups encouraged her to keep going. Still, the backing of a big publisher such as Bloomsbury means that all of a sudden the kind of light Taha shines on her characters and their political upheavals will come under far greater scrutiny. “I do feel a sense of responsibility for the communities I’m writing about – and belong to,” she says.
“But it isn’t a technical history of the region – I want people around the world to care about my characters more than anything. And if they do connect with them, maybe then that would prompt them to explore Palestine or Syria more deeply, and possibly empathise with its people.”
One very early reaction to Bitter Almonds certainly underlines her point. "I was just finishing the book and I took it to a critique group I'm a part of," she says. "One guy was Jewish-American and a definite supporter of Israel. And at the end of the book, he told me: 'You created a dilemma for me. You made me care about a Palestinian person'. "And that, in the end, is all I was looking for."
• Bitter Almonds will be published by Bloomsbury on Thursday
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Company%20Profile
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
SPECS
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Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
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