Lifestyles of the Rich and Caged

Part of the appeal of the book lies in a central irony: Sultana is fabulously wealthy and enjoys unlimited purchasing power and all the privileges of wealth, yet she suffers in an oppressive system of societal and religious oppression.

Examples of Sultana's wealth abound, all derived from the royal family's oil fortune. Sultana and her family have palace compounds in Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. They also have a permanent residence in London and a villa in Cairo, where they keep many servants. Sultana wears millions of dollars worth of jewelry. Abdullah steals a million dollars from his father Kareem's safe, and Kareem only expresses minor annoyance when he is told Abdullah donated it all to a hospital.

And yet, with all the jetsetting, servants, and huge palaces, Sultana and the women of Saudi Arabia enjoy alarmingly little freedom. Yes, they can...