[citation needed] The storyline consists of four main characters: Suha, Tamr, Nur, and Suzanne.
Tamr is an poor Turkish woman who tries to establish her own business, but struggles as a divorcee with no rights.
Rather than having strong ties into the pre-20th century Middle East, it is representative of life in some of the more fundamentalist societies within the last few decades.
Main themes of the novel include differing gender roles, class distinctions, culture, religion, and materialism vs. romanticism.
Themes include: Women of Sand and Myrrh was banned in many Arabic lands for strong content (sexual, political, etc.)