Young, Egyptian, up-and-coming author Marwa Ayad introduces her debut novel to the world which is also believed to be the FIRST English-language ROMANCE novel by an Egyptian author born and raised in Egypt. Marwa’s literary writing has been described as heartwarming, captivating and intense. The novel has been a bestseller among the English-language books in Egypt since its release.
The Years of Silence (ISBN: 978-977-6262-40-9) tackles several issues including the thorny issue of divorce in the Egyptian society, first love, soul mates, long-distance relationships, and abusive partners.
After a tragic incident, divorced and heartbroken, Egyptian 27-year-old Maya Seif is determined to move on, and find a new career in publishing. When she realizes she can't get Yusuf - her first love - out of her mind, she decides to email him.
Yusuf Omar, an ambitious American-born, Egyptian-raised man is a thousand miles away from Egypt, and going through difficult times himself. The last thing he expects is an email, after all these years of silence, from the young woman he was in love with seven years ago.
Between Egypt and New York, little do they know how their lives are about to change forever, but not until they overcome the most difficult challenge.
Narrated by Maya, this is a story of great love lost and found, and the risks two people in love are willing to take to be together when their love is the greatest risk of all.
Excerpt
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The Years of Silence: A Novel by Marwa Ayad
Prologue
In a far corner of my mind, the words echoed more clearly this time.
She’s already lost it!
There's no way this poor fetus would have survived.
Have you seen the husband?
Almost done, Doctor.
Poor thing.
And I thought my husband was bad.
When I opened my eyes, the pain was excruciating, invading every cell of my body. I was numb, unable to move. I heard murmurs, whispers and unfamiliar voices inside my head. I was half-conscious in a strange room that smelled of antiseptic and medicine.
Then I remembered...
Dinner at my grandparents’, the humiliation, the stabbing pain... Darkness had turned to silence, the unmistakable cruelty that would never change.
"We couldn't save it. I'm sorry," I heard someone whisper in my ear.
“What happened?” I asked, a thousand questions racing through my head.
A doctor in a white overall approached and smiled at me. “You’ll feel better soon, Mrs. Maya.”
I heard someone break into tears. It sounded like my mother.
“I’m afraid you’ve had an unfortunate miscarriage, but you’ll be alright.” The doctor’s voice was kind.
For seconds, I lay still, unable to breathe.
I looked at the young doctor’s face, unable to focus. “What baby?”
“You were pregnant, Mrs. Maya. I’m very sorry for your loss,” he said.
Would anyone be sorrier than me?
Oh, you very piece of my heart and mind, that your father could have been that cruel to you. What should I finally say to you when we meet in the next life?
My dearest, I'll never let you go. Will you forgive your own mother who would have rather lost her life, her very soul, but never you?
Or is it my fault that I didn't choose the right father for you? Why, for God’s sake, didn't I marry Yusuf?
He would have made a better husband and father, I heard myself say, agonizing thoughts piercing my consciousness.
Why did I remember Yusuf now? Of all the times I thought of him, why now?
“The worst is over,” the doctor said again.
Oh, was it? It was far from over. Not anywhere near it.
~~~
Professional Reviews
Review: The Years of Silence by Marwa Ayad
The Years of Silence, told in luminous, poetic prose, is the story of how Maya Seif, a young Egyptian woman who has endured hardship and pain in an abusive marriage, finds her way out of that marriage and begins a journey of self-discovery. In the course of her journey, she reconnects with her first true love, Yusuf Omar, the man her heart never forgot.
Maya's divorce from Shereef is instigated by a tragedy. Two years before, Maya had received an email from Yusuf, her first love, but since she had been married at the time, she hadn't felt comfortable with replying. Now, though, she replies and confides in Yusuf. But he's thousands of miles away, in New York, and going through difficult times himself.
As the story develops, they both think, they can marry and be together forever. But a shock lies in store for Yusuf and Maya, one which threatens to tear them apart forever.
The Years of Silence is contemporary romance at its best: compelling, sympathetic characters, a page-turning plot, and a veritable buffet of food for thought about how people can bring each other down or lift each other up, the mysteries of why some relationships work out but others don't. And The Years of Silence offers deep insight into the joys, complexities, and mystery of true love, itself a life-time journey and the most enriching and rewarding of them all.
~reviewed by Thomma Lyn Grindstaff, author of Mirror Blue
Long and Short Reviews: Review of The Years of Silence
THE YEARS OF SILENCE captivates you from the start with its tragic loss and history of violence. Abuse and betrayal is an all too common plaque on our societies and this novel opens with a promise that enduring these bitter fates can lead us to happiness.
Maya is a woman freshly divorced and dealing with the shame it has brought on her family. She is surprised to receive an email from her best friend’s brother who she hasn’t seen in years. They had been in love once but he had left their native Egypt for America, and abandoned her with questions.
I grew with hope and admiration as Maya and her childhood sweetheart, Yusuf, began a letter writing campaign that revealed their pasts, explained their present, and dreamed of their hopes of the future. Maya’s faith and forgiveness for those around her, and her courage to keep believing in herself and eventual happiness, struck a chord at the core of my spirit. The challenge Maya and Yusuf faced to come together in reality, and the unexpected crisis that followed had me unable to set the novel down.
Author Marwa Ayad’s writing is beautiful. I loved the settings, from Maya’s family home in Egypt to her trip to America. First person may not be a challenge for most readers but it certainly can be for a writer. Ms. Ayad’s voice is so stunningly real I was certain I was reading the excerpts of a painfully recorded diary. The frequent email exchanges between Maya and Yusuf are intimate and heart wrenching. It reminds one how easy it can be to open up in a letter, and how much work it takes to bring resolution to our conflicts in the flesh.
THE YEARS OF SILENCE is a private story made public only for readers who open the first page. It is quiet, yet passionate. Simple, but powerfully poignant. Maya and Yusuf become our friends. Those who are not familiar with Middle Eastern women or society will be both fascinated and enlightened. Barriers are lowered as gestures of sharing and empathy are made with sincerity.
I expect Marwa Ayad will be heartily welcomed into the open arms of Sweet Romance readers. She is a promising new author that writes with humility and honor. One can almost feel her taking her first steps out into the world with her arms wrapped gingerly around her “voice”-- a voice I have fallen for. I highly recommend this novel to readers of all genres, and for any ages.
Coffee Time Romance: Review of The Years of Silence
Maya rues the day she ever married her ex-husband. Despite the trauma of her marriage, she still dreams of and thinks about her first love Yusuf and is unable to let his memory go.
Yusuf is in a difficult marriage, and the day Maya comes back into his life is the day he realizes that he never loved his wife. Across the miles separating them, their love rekindles and grows through emails.
Yusuf made a mistake in his initial relationship with Maya. Never hoping to have a second chance he is determined that this time he won’t let go.
An intriguing glimpse into a unique society that is progressing but still stands apart from modern society. Maya is a typical woman of Egyptian society but she is unwilling to allow society to dictate her life. The exotic detail of Egypt truly brings the reader right into the homes located thousands of miles away. A story well worth reading.
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