A DUA LIPA'S SERVICE95 'MUST READ' FOR 2026
'A smart, razor-sharp takedown of the machismo of Big Oil' CAOILINN HUGHES
'Propulsive and engrossing and deeply fascinating' SAFIA ELHILLO
'A thrilling and emotionally complex ride ' ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS
'Required reading for the Petroleum Age' DAVID HUEBERT
'An utterly brilliant, searing, incisive novel' LUCIA OSBORNE-CROWLEY
'Fast-paced, gripping and gloriously entertaining' TILLY LAWLESS
Being one of the boys was one thing. Being the boss of the boys was something else altogether.
Expert driller Zainab is called to take charge of a high-stakes oil rig operation. Unable to resist the opportunity, she leaves behind her pregnant sister and heads offshore for the job of her life. But there’s a catch. The rig is teetering on the edge of disaster – and Zainab is the only woman amongst a crew of hardened men who want absolutely nothing to do with her.
At the helm but forced to prove herself at every turn, Zainab labours to investigate the rig's imminent collapse. She quickly grasps that the real danger lies in the cold calculations and base desires of the men she is forced to spend every waking moment with.
As tensions rise and secrets unravel, Zainab races to uncover the truth bubbling below and fend off the looming catastrophe. Explosive and thought-provoking, At Sea is an exhilarating story about the clash of ambition, principle and prejudice, and the unexpected consequences of our choices.
Genre: Literary Fiction
'A smart, razor-sharp takedown of the machismo of Big Oil' CAOILINN HUGHES
'Propulsive and engrossing and deeply fascinating' SAFIA ELHILLO
'A thrilling and emotionally complex ride ' ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS
'Required reading for the Petroleum Age' DAVID HUEBERT
'An utterly brilliant, searing, incisive novel' LUCIA OSBORNE-CROWLEY
'Fast-paced, gripping and gloriously entertaining' TILLY LAWLESS
Being one of the boys was one thing. Being the boss of the boys was something else altogether.
Expert driller Zainab is called to take charge of a high-stakes oil rig operation. Unable to resist the opportunity, she leaves behind her pregnant sister and heads offshore for the job of her life. But there’s a catch. The rig is teetering on the edge of disaster – and Zainab is the only woman amongst a crew of hardened men who want absolutely nothing to do with her.
At the helm but forced to prove herself at every turn, Zainab labours to investigate the rig's imminent collapse. She quickly grasps that the real danger lies in the cold calculations and base desires of the men she is forced to spend every waking moment with.
As tensions rise and secrets unravel, Zainab races to uncover the truth bubbling below and fend off the looming catastrophe. Explosive and thought-provoking, At Sea is an exhilarating story about the clash of ambition, principle and prejudice, and the unexpected consequences of our choices.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"Zesty, intense and thrilling. At Sea is a wonderful achievement. This is a jarring expose of the satisfactions and brutality of the workplace - the joys of career success, the power struggles with colleagues, the humiliations and bruised sense of worth. We witness how ambition can become a trap, and how structure and mental absorption can be an escape from family difficulties." - Leila Aboulela
"A thrilling and emotionally complex ride. At Sea is a story of gender and power politics and the cost of capitalism and unhealed wounds. It is a masterclass in drawing a reader into worlds unknown and making it consume their every waking thought. Abdel-Magied has written a carefully composed novel that pulls no punches as it deftly explores the painful reality of life on the rig that is both compelling and captivating." - Ore Agbaje-Williams
"Propulsive and engrossing and deeply fascinating, Abdel-Magied's At Sea is a feat of vivid world-building, of characters sketched with such empathy and with a poet's economy of language. My heart was in my throat the entire time. This story will haunt me forever." - Safia Elhillo
"Written with the urgency of a thriller and the distress signal of an allegory, At Sea is a smart, razor-sharp takedown of the machismo of big oil and what it is to be a woman operating in such a hostile industry. Abdel-Magied tells this compelling story with a fresh, authoritative voice." - Caoilinn Hughes
"Fast-paced, gripping and gloriously entertaining. At Sea exposes the social dynamics we all recognise - power, gender, and ambition." - Tilly Lawless
"Abdel-Magied is a writer who pays attention. Suspenseful, moving, often surprising and even funny, At Sea is an engrossing novel, and its protagonist Zainab is full of heart and charm. Abdel-Magied deftly charts the complex dynamics between characters in a world where games of power and ego can have devastating and perilous consequences." - Fatima Farheen Mirza
"A thrilling and emotionally complex ride. At Sea is a story of gender and power politics and the cost of capitalism and unhealed wounds. It is a masterclass in drawing a reader into worlds unknown and making it consume their every waking thought. Abdel-Magied has written a carefully composed novel that pulls no punches as it deftly explores the painful reality of life on the rig that is both compelling and captivating." - Ore Agbaje-Williams
"Propulsive and engrossing and deeply fascinating, Abdel-Magied's At Sea is a feat of vivid world-building, of characters sketched with such empathy and with a poet's economy of language. My heart was in my throat the entire time. This story will haunt me forever." - Safia Elhillo
"Written with the urgency of a thriller and the distress signal of an allegory, At Sea is a smart, razor-sharp takedown of the machismo of big oil and what it is to be a woman operating in such a hostile industry. Abdel-Magied tells this compelling story with a fresh, authoritative voice." - Caoilinn Hughes
"Fast-paced, gripping and gloriously entertaining. At Sea exposes the social dynamics we all recognise - power, gender, and ambition." - Tilly Lawless
"Abdel-Magied is a writer who pays attention. Suspenseful, moving, often surprising and even funny, At Sea is an engrossing novel, and its protagonist Zainab is full of heart and charm. Abdel-Magied deftly charts the complex dynamics between characters in a world where games of power and ego can have devastating and perilous consequences." - Fatima Farheen Mirza
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Used availability for Y M Abdel-Magied's At Sea