A Calamity of Noble Houses by Amira Ghenim
Summary of A Calamity of Noble Houses by Amira Ghenim Introduction and the Frame Narrative The novel is presented as a multigenerational family saga set within the beldi (aristocratic) families of Tunis, framed by the modern-day investigation of Hind Ennaifer. Hind, a professor of international law, seeks to uncover the truth behind a “jinn of truth” that has haunted her family for decades: the scandalous “calamity” of December 7, 1935. The story is constructed through eleven distinct “tales,” each narrated by a different family member or servant, offering conflicting, biased, and deeply personal perspectives on the same central events: the marriage of Zbaida Ali Rassaa and Mohsen Ennaifer, and the fallout from a letter sent to Zbaida by the controversial social reformer Tahar Haddad. At the heart of the narrative is the arrogance and narcissism inherent in the noble houses of Tunis, a “congenital defect” that Hind believes has led to a history of hypocrisy, aborted love, and secret betrayals. The primary mystery revolves around Zbaida’s relationship with Tahar Haddad a man whose 1930 book, Our Women in Sharia and Society, revolutionized and polarized Tunisian society by calling for women’s education and an end to polygamy. The Tale of Khala …