Author(s): Amal Awad

Fiction

"So I was turned off a suitor when I saw his shoes. Despite the Arab warrior preference, I didn't really care about looks. But I had a general rule: if the suitor came in wearing shoes with tassels, a leather jacket circa 1982, and/or a moustache, the doorknock appeal would fail from the outset. A girl has to have some standards, right?" It may be the 21st century, but who says courtship is obsolete? Coming from a (not-quite- traditional) Muslim family, 27-year-old Samira Abdel-Aziz knows all about it. But as an assistant at Bridal Bazaar magazine, she's pretty sick of all things wedding-related. Surely there's more to life than suitors and marriage? Then Samira unwittingly becomes wedding gofer for her cousin/nemesis Zahra and her life begins to resemble a Spanish soap opera - minus the skimpy clothing and the bitch-slaps. This story is a light-hearted but honest peek into the life of a young, single Muslim woman living in Sydney - the joys of a blossoming romance (all very proper), the courtship rituals (so Jane Austen), the struggle with career and, of course, Arab Guilt.