The Pact We Made by Layla AlAmmar is a novel that brings a much needed voice from the Middle East. Set in Kuwait, the narrative depicts the dualities in the experience of being a modern woman in a patriarchal system. In the story, Dahlia is living two lives; as a working woman in the outside world, and a daughter whose parents are bound by the dictates of patriarchy. As she edges closer to the age of thirty, she is faced with the brutal societal expectation to get married, just as her other friends have, while also dealing with past trauma that she hasn’t fully come to terms with. Layla AlAmmar’s novel is a brilliant and brave new story from Kuwait that offers a wider, more nuanced and complex picture of living in urban cities of the Gulf. We spoke to Layla AlAmmar about her novel, writing in Kuwait and her character’s distinct interest in art. - Sumaiyya Naseem