بيت بابا شايع

In **Bait Baba Shayae**, Kuwaiti author **Ruqayya Othman Al-Qulaish** presents a collection of short stories that examines society from an unsettling perspective, transforming the shopping mall into an exposed stage for everything we try to conceal. With a keen and observant style, Al-Qulaish writes about a world that appears polished and glamorous on the surface, yet proves remarkably fragile underneath. Rather than portraying the mall as a passing setting, she reimagines it as a new kind of "home," shaped by familiar faces, social rituals, and shifting cultural norms. Across thirty-three concise stories, she maps a space that has become far more than a shopping destination—it has evolved into a substitute for homes, gatherings, and even human relationships themselves. At the heart of these stories, the focus is not on consumerism but on people living beneath artificial light: the obsession with appearances, livestream culture, elite social circles, fleeting relationships, and dreams of wealth that are displayed more often than they are truly lived. Here, traditional *diwaniyas* give way to cafés, identity is compressed into a photograph, and presence becomes more digital than genuine. Al-Qulaish captures these moments with brief yet revealing snapshots, where every small detail hints at a deeper contradiction. The language is brisk and direct, but its impact lingers long after the final page. You are not merely reading about other people; you gradually find yourself reflected within the very world the stories depict. The humor is ever-present, yet rarely comforting, and while the reading experience feels light, what it leaves behind is anything but. In the end, **Bait Baba Shayae** offers no safe distance. It is a mirror placed in the middle of a crowded room, where ignoring your own reflection becomes increasingly difficult. Will you keep watching the storefront—or dare to look at what lies behind it?