Hope You Are Satisfied

Tania Malik

The Sheik is pissed. Along with his wives and children, the Sheik got put on the wrong plane, and ended up waiting hours in the desert on a hot tarmac for a crew that never came. As usual— it’s Riya’s fault.

Riya works for Discover Arabia, a rinky-dink tour guide company in the far-flung desert outpost of Dubai. It’s 1990, and the city’s iconic skyline, along with its global reputation, remains but a gleam in developers’ eyes. For twenty-five year-old Riya, Dubai is a desert purgatory that spreads out between her family back home in India, and an as-yet-defined future ahead of her. If she belongs to anything, it is to the city’s transient underclass of young people from South Asia, Africa, and Europe who arrive with the ubiquitous goal of earning more than they could at home.

Will a favor from Dubai’s most notorious fixer get Riya back in everyone’s good graces? Or will the impending possibility of an invasion by Saddam Hussein make Riya’s problems (along with everyone else’s) a moot point?

Author Tania Malik presents a lovably sarcastic cast of misfits who will undo the “guest worker” stereotype one tequila shot at a time, while around them, international arms dealers, American soldiers, CIA consultants, corrupt bosses, and wayward vacationers all compete for Discover Arabia’s attention, even as their world teeters on the cusp of an explosive global conflict.

Praise for Hope You Are Satisfied

"Mesmerizing prose [and] heart-stopping action . . . both honest and astounding."

—Publishers Weekly, Starred review

"Touching and deeply researched. . . . An impressive feat of storytelling."

—Thomas Chatterton Williams, San Francisco Chronicle

"An impressive first novel."

—Georgia Rowe, San Jose Mercury News

"Madan’s is an adventure well worth joining."

—Anne Morris, Dallas Morning News

"Three Bargains brought back the dimly remembered pleasure of being swept up in the fast, deep waters of a great tale. Richly textured and morally nuanced."

—Debra Dean, author of The Mirrored World

"A dazzling page-turner of heartbreak and hope."

—Ellen Feldman, author of The Unwitting

"Such a beautifully written book, full of moving, honest, indelible characters that make you hate to leave them by the end―an astonishing debut! Reading Malik’s first novel reminded me of encountering Toni Morrison and Louise Erdrich’s early fiction―you already see the promise of genius there."

—Jonis Agee, author of The River Wife

"The kind of novel one sinks into, forgetting everything but the story."

—Peggy Payne, author of Sister India

"Exuberant, thrilling, and compassionate to the last page, Malik’s sun-soaked novel is a testament to the power of friendships forged far from home."

—Leigh N. Gallagher, author of Who You Might Be

"Full of hedonism and intrigue, this fast-paced novel is a historical snapshot that proves to be chillingly relevant."

—Stephanie Feldman, author of The Angel of Losses and Saturnalia

"Malik brings her cast of characters skillfully to life, then introduces a smart mousetrap of a plot that keeps the pages turning at breakneck pace. A truly absorbing read!"

—Suzanne Rindell, author of The Other Typist, Three Martini Lunch, Eagle & Crane, and The Two Mrs. Carlyles

"Hope You Are Satisfied is packed with international intrigue. Riya navigates that poignantly fleeting time in early adulthood when roots are tenuous and everything you want seems both tantalizingly possible and forever out of reach. I couldn’t put this book down."

—Heather Young, author of The Lost Girls and The Distant Dead

"A compelling novel which combines an espionage thriller, adventure story, and workplace satire, featuring a heroine you can't help but root for as she goes for the opportunity of a lifetime. A sharp and original read."

—Kathy Wang, author of Family Trust and Imposter

"A beautifully written, suspenseful story filled with wonder that blossoms despite the looming threat of war. I loved it."

—Gabrielle Korn, author of Everybody (Else) is Perfect and Yours for the Taking