ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The challenges facing a young woman growing up in Kurdistan and immigrating to Europe shape the debut novel of a Kurdish-Danish author. 

Dødevaskeren (Dead Washer), “in general talks about the injustices and inconveniences of life in eastern communities,” said author Sara Omar speaking with Rudaw’s Shaho Amin. 

The novel, published in Danish, tells the story of a young woman, born in the Kurdistan Region and rejected by her father because she is a girl. It is set against the backdrop of modern Kurdish history and women in Kurdish society.

“The main framework of the novel is the history of the 21st century of the Kurds – the heroes and events,” Omar said.

The book has topped bestseller lists in Denmark where Omar has been praised for her bravery in telling the story of a woman dealing with injustice and discrimination. 

“Another subject in the novel is the excessive emergence of culture, mentality, tradition, and religion in Kurdistan,” Omar explained, “especially a dominant way of thinking and many superstitions in Kurdish society.”