Description: An incandescent new novel by the author of The Fan-Maker's Inquisition ("An exquisitely crafted work of art"--Robert Coover), in which a mother's betrayal, a dazzling perfume-maker, and an unexpurgated copy of the Arabian Nights awaken a girl of 13 to erotic life. When her mother leaves her marriage to "walk" the streets of Cairo with other men and her heartbroken father forgets himself in games of chess and war, Elizabeth ponders Scheherazade's words--"It is good for a girl to be with a man"--and finds comfort at the shop of Ramses Ragab, a master perfumer dedicated to resurrecting the lost fragrances of the past. Under his tutelage, she reads ancient esoteric texts, learns the mysteries of fragrance, and soon comes to love her sensitive, brilliant teacher with the intensity of a child and the ardor of a young woman. Yet, when her father hires a magician in a desperate attempt to bring back his wife, Elizabeth discovers just how precious--and how worthless--she herself is as a girl and soon-to-be beautiful woman in this ancient land of stone, sand, and darkness.

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