Kalilah and Huda #914441

In each story of this collection, the author immerses herself in a unique experience with one of God’s creatures, deepening the connection between her characters—whether told in the first person or through an omniscient narrator. She explores relationships with beings that share our world, whether we consider them annoying, like the frog, or harmful, like the mouse. These relationships are not necessarily the ones we are familiar with or expect. Instead, the author invents new, unconventional connections: animals may speak, as they do in Kalila and Dimna, or remain silent despite the noise they make—like the foolish parrot whose sounds carry no meaning. Still, the dominant form she employs is the literary story, grounded in a narrative framework. To the author, Kalila represents an essential part of existence—an element without which the cycle of life remains incomplete.