An Illusion Called Beauty

About the Book

Once she was a princess who smelled of roses and pure delight. Her parents named their new treasure Maysam, in order to reflect all of life’s beautiful virtues. With her rich brown eyes, she came to know the world as shapes and sounds. In her mother’s sweet voice, she heard only love—and the secret of bliss: “Smile, sweetheart. Smile always and bring happiness to nice people’s hearts.” Her young life is one without trouble or fear—until things turn upside down as her country is rattled by financial crisis, forcing young Maysam and her family to move in with her grandmother. In that angry household, the young girl learns some of life’s more unpleasant lessons. Years pass, and poor Maysam grows into a young, unsociable, and forgotten lady. She struggles to reconnect with the joyful and optimistic child she once was, as the burden of finding her own way in a culture that cannot see the beauty within her wears her down. Lonely, sad, and depressed, she is lost in her own troubles. To protect herself, she builds internal walls around her pain, resigning herself to a fate in which she merely exists, instead of lives. But the joyful child inside refuses to accept this new self-imposed destiny. She vows to find a way to harness the happiness she sees around her. Can Maysam recapture the dreams of her innocent childhood in time to save her life and self-esteem?

About the Author

Samar Al-Mahiawi earned her degree in business administration and management from the Australian University of Wollongong in Dubai. She is currently pursuing her MFA in fine arts at the Lotus Educational Institute in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This is her first book.