“Salma’s Notebook:” A novel chronicling struggle and giving

MUSCAT: The novel “Salma’s Notebook” by author Sharifa bint Salim al Rahbi explores the lives of girls in Oman during the 1970s, examining the social circumstances that deprived many of education and the resilience with which they confronted hardship to pursue their aspirations.
The novel was released in its first edition in 2026 as part of the National Programme for Supporting the Book, implemented by the Cultural Club, which has supported a number of Omani writers and contributed to enriching the national literary landscape.
Spanning 237 pages across 19 chapters, the novel follows Salma, a girl whose childhood unfolds in an isolated house far from the village and her friends. Finding comfort in her imagination, she creates an imaginary companion with whom she explores a world of beauty, meeting her at home, by the falaj and at school.
The story traces Salma’s childhood between affection and cruelty, and a fatherhood that is simultaneously present and absent. Her love for knowledge and school grows with the opening of schools, but her dream of education is eventually cut short by family and social circumstances.
Against the backdrop of Oman’s social transformation, the novel portrays the opening of schools for boys and girls and the arrival of electricity, while highlighting Salma’s deep attachment to books and learning.
After being married at an early age, as was common among girls of her generation, Salma enters a life of marriage and early motherhood, experiences that lead her to record her memories in “Salma’s Notebook.” She recalls the falaj, her childhood nickname “Daughter of the Jinn”, her journey to school and her daily sleep on the bus.
Through Salma’s memories, the novel evokes the bustle of village life and the hardships of a bygone era, offering readers a poignant journey into childhood and memories shaped by time. - ONA