Stunning! This is an emotional and unnerving read and I was absolutely riveted. I loved the writing style and structure—short chapters that alternated between the five main characters. All of the women struggled with inner and outer turmoil. I couldn’t believe how some of the characters behaved but, at the same time, they felt too real and I could absolutely see their actions playing out in real life. Highly recommended!

Thank you very much to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Women being women (powerful and strong dispite the circumstances that stand in their way). This story follows 5 women with different origins and backgrounds that lead them to the Arabian gulf. Each of their stories are so different yet so impactful. Helped me be better educated on the limitation of choices in that region and the reality of how far women will go for hopes of a better future and to protect the ones they love from what is happening around them. Though you can try to shield people from the the harsh truth of reality, turning a blind eye to what’s going on in the world around you does not change the fact that it is still happening and affecting people around the world this very second. This story touched me and is very different from my normal read. Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for my very first earc I loved.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book, not because I wasn't enjoying it. The writing was spectacular and the characters were dynamic. The problem was I didn't do enough research on the trigger warning contained in the novel and had to stop reading.

With Gulf, Mo Ogrodnik crafts a novel of interwoven fates, hidden power struggles, and the quiet strength of women navigating oppressive systems. Across continents and cultures, five women find themselves bound by circumstance, expectation, and a longing for escape—whether from family, tradition, or the roles imposed upon them.

Dounia, a young Saudi mother, feels isolated and scrutinized within her wealthy husband's family after the birth of her child. Flora, a Filipina domestic worker, seeks a better life in Saudi Arabia, carrying the weight of past grief and a tragedy that claimed her infant’s life. Zeinah, a Syrian woman forced into marriage with a jihadist, is drawn into the ranks of the female morality police, upholding the very restrictions that once confined her. Justine, an American art curator, believes herself to be an outsider to the injustices around her—until she meets Eskedare, an Ethiopian teenager who refuses to accept the future arranged for her.

Though vastly different, their lives intersect in unexpected and profound ways, exposing the social, political, and economic forces that shape—and often limit—women’s choices. Ogrodnik’s writing is both intimate and unflinching, never shying away from the realities of power, privilege, and survival in a region where autonomy is often a privilege, not a right.

Ogrodnik, a filmmaker and writer known for her work exploring women’s experiences in repressive social structures, brings a sharp, cinematic quality to the novel. The storytelling is immersive, the emotions raw, and the characters linger long after the final page.

A novel about alienation, survival, and resilience, Gulf does not offer easy resolutions—but it does offer voices that demand to be heard. #simonschuster #gulf #moogrodnik

This was a hard story to read, there are 5 different, distinct characters and they all have something in common.
Their hope for a better future and life that’s purposeful and meaningful.
The struggle that each of them face is not easy
Or pleasant to read about.
The Author puts the perspective of each of these characters on a journey and within the journey they all make choices and each decision has consequences.
Not a light hearted story but it gets the reader something to think about.
3 sad stars