Noor Murad: ‘That’s what reading is: escapism’

“If you read a novel like Persepolis you realise that there are so many people with their own stories and their own struggles, trying to navigate their way through whatever society puts on them … Persepolis is probably my favourite book.”

“Very dark and dystopian … [Margaret Atwod has] very wild, imaginative ways of describing the world … [she] talks about scientific advancement and how it went beyond humanity, almost.”

“I think it was my first insight into the socio-economic differences within society, and how they affected the ‘greasers’ and the ‘socs’. And I think it’s a story about love and loyalty because you have all these people … and things get out of control … they’re all just kind of sticking together. I really, really love this book.”

“I read the whole thing in one sitting … It’s such an unputdownable book. It really, really resonated with me because I know so many stories about forbidden love in Bahrain.”

“I don’t think there is a woman who could read Three Women and not relate in some way. It really kind of hones into the idea that a lot of women are not satisfied, but they internalise it in so many aspects of their life.”