Family history and a dark revelation shape West Australian author Tess Woods’ fifth book – and that was just in the writing process.
Woods takes readers back to her Egyptian roots and to the foot of the famous pyramids in The Cairo Bridal Shop, which weaves three the storylines of three sisters together to tell a thrilling story of strength, love, family and tradition.
It is perhaps the most personal book from Woods, whose last outing – The Venice Hotel – earned critical acclaim.
“My nanna, who passed away during the COVID lockdowns, she was a bridal dressmaker,” Woods said.
“She made my bridal gown, and we were incredibly close.
“There was only 45 years between my nanna and I … and I truly grieved her death when she died, and I wasn’t able to be with her because of the COVID lockdowns keeping me here in WA.
“And I wanted to honour her in some way, so I had had in my mind that I wanted to write a book connecting ancient Egyptian history.
“And then, when my grandma passed away, and I wasn’t able to be at her funeral, I wanted to write a book to honour her.
“And that’s when I thought of that vehicle of using bridal dresses as a way to connect the past and the present, and have the brides that come into the shop and try on the dresses, take on the lives of the ancient pharaoh queens, and bring them into a modern-day Egyptian setting.”
The concept had been bouncing around for a while, but took form in 2020.
Woods’ research threw up more surprises, as she dove into Egyptian history and the 2011 revolution to paint the picture of life of women in the Middle East.
By her own admission, “it’s taken me five novels to find the guts to tell the story”.
“It was really a difficult balance to get of wanting to show the country that I’m so proud to have been born in, and our hospitality, and warmth, and our traditions, and our culture, and our rich history,” she said.
“All of that I wanted to showcase and make Egypt the jewel that it is, but also at the same time, being realistic about the misogyny and the patriarchy and the corruption of the government, the lack of freedom of speech, and how difficult it is for women with unequal human rights.”
Even researching Gamal Abdel Nasser, the second president of Egypt who is regarded fondly for his legacy of bringing the country out of the shadow of British influence, threw curveballs Woods’ way.
“When I was researching his story, I came upon the way that he treated the peasant farmers who were out in the rural areas of Egypt, and it was absolutely shocking,” she said.
“It really changed … the story I started out telling was not the story that I ended up telling.”
Woods admits The Cairo Bridal Shop was her “most difficult book to write”.
But she hopes the message readers will take away involves looking beyond the cliches of the Middle East.
“We aren’t subjugated women,” she said.
“We just happen to live under patriarchal state laws, but on a personal level, Egyptian women are some of the bravest, most feisty, funny, full of personality [women], so I hope that all of that comes out in the book, and we see Middle Eastern women for who they truly are.”
The Cairo Bridal Shop will be released on September 1.
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