About the Book: The House of Girls is a historiographic metafiction where protagonist Nazia Hassan in contemporary Dubai reads a novel, ‘Bait Al Banat,’ published under her name. This “novel within a novel” format interweaves Nazia’s life with the story of three unmarried Emirati sisters—Mariam, Soraiyya, and Shamsa—who lived and worked in the historic Gold Souq. Through Shamsa’s storytelling, the book celebrates Arab women’s culture, aspirations for freedom, and Dubai’s evolution from a coastal town.