The book opens with Sara as an adult talking to a journalist about her life. We then go back in time to when Sara was a teenager as her strict Egyptian father moves the family from the UK to the Gulf as he thinks they will have a better, safer life there than in a broken Britain.

Sara though just wants to be like the girls she knew growing up. She wants to be able to chat with the opposite sex, to wear clothes that don’t cover her whole body, and to put make-up on her face. Her father tells her everything is ‘haram’ Forbidden and if she steps out of line or dares to question him she is physically beaten.

The book is narrated by Sara who tells us about her life growing up and that of her family. Amongst the school friends, parties, etc there were some harrowing scenes, scenes where men think they can dominate women and women are the ones at fault for being raped or attacked.

Hijab and Red Lipstick was a poignant and hard read at times. Sometimes the content made my blood boil but I don’t want to get into my thoughts on the treatment of women in some parts of the world on here. Let’s just say I stand against all violence, whether that be aimed at men, women, or children. I also stand for equality.

The plot is heart-wrenching and I can see it being a tear-jerking novel for some. It must have been so hard for Sara, her sister, and her mother growing up. Sara though has a lovely spirit to her, she comes across as warm and loving, surprising given her upbringing.

The novel isn’t for the faint-hearted. It is emotional, it will have you wanting to throw the book across the room, not because of the writing – that’s amazing, but because of what this brave young woman went through.

My only criticism is with how it ended. I wanted to know more about Sara returning to the UK, how she did it, what her family thought about it, and how she felt now she was back living here. Essentially I wanted to know more.

Yousra S Imran is an English-Egyptian hybrid who works and lives in West Yorkshire. She has been writing from the moment she learned how to hold a pen and works full time in marketing and events in the education sector.

Yousra grew up between the UK and the Middle East and has a BA Hons in International Relations. She is passionate about women’s rights and gender justice. Yousra lives with her husband in Bradford, Yorkshire.

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