From Publishers Weekly The timeless tragedy of Shakespeare's star-cross'd lovers is reflected in our modern era in this directly narrated but deeply affecting story of a Catholic man and a Muslim woman secretly in love in contemporary Jordan. Even in this relatively modern Islamic state， not only is it impossible for them to overcome ancient prejudices， but if they were known to have been together， however innocently， their lives， particularly that of the woman， could be forfeit. Khouri， a poet and short fiction writer (and Catholic) who now lives in exile because of the events she relates here， opened a unisex beauty salon in Amman with her dearest friend， Dalia， hoping to achieve some measure of freedom in a stultifying society in which women are wholly without rights and， once married， completely subservient to their husbands. Michael， an attractive young Catholic man， comes to the salon to have his hair cut by Dalia so often that she jokes he will soon be trimmed bald， until she realizes he is shyly interested in her-but she is Muslim. The two dare to love and plan to escape abroad. However， Dalia's younger brother suspects her of "dishonoring" the family by loving an outsider， and the ancient code of honor， as violently in effect today as ever， immediately demands the taking of her life to remove the stain. The importance of what Khouri has to say overcomes her guileless prose， and she does not hesitate to insert a lengthy chapter of Islamic history， especially condemning what she， as a Christian， perceives as the religion's rigidly determined， denigrating attitudes to women. While the book is not a polemic， its message， particularly resonant in today's world， in which Islam has become a major player， conveys some knowledge of that world and its thinking in general， but in regard to the rights of women， it holds an especially significant appeal. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information， Inc. From Library Journal Two young women in Jordan defy their families to open a hair salon， but when one of them falls for a Catholic man who enters the salon， she is ultimately killed by her father. The author was forced to leave the country after writing this work secretly in an Internet cafe. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information， Inc. See all Editorial Reviews