Sara Hamdan knows what it means to live with contradictions, even in her highest moments.
Her debut novel, What Will People Think?, featured in a recent episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, propelling the Palestinian-American author into international attention overnight. The recognition was thrilling, but even as messages of congratulations poured in, Hamdan couldn’t celebrate wholeheartedly.
“On the one side, I’m expressing this joy – ‘oh my gosh, Jimmy Fallon is holding my book on the TV’,” she says. “But at the same time, as a Palestinian-American witnessing this insane humanitarian crisis in Gaza that’s happening, what separates me from that young mother in Palestine who may have had the same dreams as me and never had a shot? It’s just pure privilege. Geographic luck. Circumstance.
“When you have Arab or specifically Palestinian heritage, like I do, it's almost like you're born with a broken heart, and you're constantly trying to mend it,” says Hamdan, who lives in Dubai.
“This is actually not new, and it's repeated wounds that are just not allowed to heal. How are we supposed to live life? How are we supposed to live knowing that could have easily been me, if not for small decisions made generations ago?”
This duality is one of several reflected within Hamdan’s novel.
What Will People Think? follows a Palestinian-American stand-up comic, Mia, who tries to navigate between her bold stage persona and her family’s traditional expectations.
Mia’s story – set in New York in 2011 – is intertwined with her grandmother’s hidden past. In the novel, Mia discovers a diary written by her ‘Teta’ in 1940s Jaffa, just as she was on the verge of displacement during the Nakba.
The entries trace the life of a young woman celebrated as the village beauty, torn between her family’s expectations of a wealthy marriage and her own attraction to a British soldier. The romance is brief and ultimately devastating – a metaphor, perhaps, of Palestine’s unravelling.
The diaries were actually written first, Hamdan says. A decade ago, while pregnant with her son, she began drafting those passages as a self-contained story, drawing from her own grandmother’s recollections and her journalistic research into life in Palestine before 1948. “I actually wrote those scenes as one complete section in one go,” she says.
However, when she began pitching them to agents, reactions were lacklustre, and inspired Hamdan to incorporate “a more contemporary” element.
That’s when Mia’s story began to take shape, eventually braiding together with the Jaffa diaries. “Mia’s comedy gets better as she understands herself and pushes boundaries a little more each time, and I put in the grandmother scenes in the middle,” Hamdan says. “So you see these two Palestinian women in different timelines taking risks.”
But Mia’s story was more than about simply finding a vessel through which to present stories from 1940s Palestine. Bringing Palestinian characters to a modern, relatable plot was as pivotal as telling a tale of generational trauma.
“I really wanted to write a book that had Palestinian characters because I’ve never seen that growing up. I wanted to see that representation,” she says. By placing Mia on stage, cracking jokes with a microphone in hand, Hamdan aimed to expand the types of stories that Palestinian women inhabited.
“I would love for my children to see a story that – yes, this is essentially about a Palestinian family that gets displaced in the 1940s so it does have that emotional depth, the trauma is there – but at the end of the day, this is also a romantic comedy. We’ve never seen that before.”
Hamdan also wanted to explore a different internal tension through Mia’s character – a cultural pressure familiar to many women in the region.
“Every Arab woman in particular has a public face and then the private face of how they feel,” Hamdan says. “It's about how we present ourselves on the outside and how we feel on the inside, and then how you align those two things.”
These many contradictions fuelled Hamdan’s debut novel. Even if her literary breakout seems like an overnight success, it was the culmination of a decade spent writing in stolen hours. She needed that fuel.
What Will People Think? was a marathon, persevering past the usual authorial checkpoints of self-doubt and rejection. Even so, Hamdan didn’t seriously considered its publication for a long time.
The novel was merely a respite from the stresses of her work as a New York Times journalist and Google editor spread across multiple time zones, as well as the challenges of raising two children. She never thought writing fiction would ever be more than “a cute hobby.”
Her family, she says, as well as a series of unexpected opportunities, helped her overcome that mental barricade
In 2021, she was scrolling through Twitter when she came across a competition that was organised by Netflix. She submitted a section of the novel and won. It was a burst of encouragement that kept her going. Still, Hamdan was reluctant about calling herself a novelist. That changed after she participated in the 2023 run of the Emirates Literature Foundation’s Seddiqi First Chapter Fellowship.
“The fellowship was the reason I began to call myself a writer, even before I became published,” she says. “It didn't happen even with the Netflix award. But this time, I thought to myself, I'm going to be a novelist. I'm going to do this because I felt supported.”
The opportunity provided both mentorship as well as a sense of community. The programme paired her with established authors, offered structured feedback and helped transform her “cute hobby” into a serious pursuit. The network of peers, as well as the unwavering support of her family, gave her a sense of confidence to keep developing the novel into what it is today.
The support finally pushed her to a spotlight she never imagined. Earlier this month, What Will People Think? was shown on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and was selected as part of the comedian’s Book Club picks. Hamdan says she had no idea the book would end up on Fallon’s desk.
“In June, my publisher sent me an email saying that The Fallon Book Club had requested copies for them to read, for coverage consideration,” she says. “But we didn’t know what that meant.”
She only realised when she stumbled across Fallon’s Instagram post. “Last week I woke up, and I was just scrolling through Instagram, and the first thing that came up in my feed was Jimmy Fallon, and I remember thinking, ‘oh, I guess that means I didn’t make it, because my publisher would have told me’. So I just thought, let me see which books made it. So he holds the first one up. And then I look closer and I see mine on the side. And then I’m like, rubbing my eyes. And then he pulls mine. I’m like, ‘oh my God’.”
The news spread quickly. “It was just a total surprise. And then it felt like a wedding day, Christmas all rolled into one, because I just started getting messages from like, my friends and former colleagues and teachers I had in middle school. It felt like a big validation.”
While the moment was certainly a personal victory for Hamdan, it also is an encouraging sign that more Palestinian stories were entering mainstream Western media.
“I think it’s a signal to the market, you know, like this big pop culture icon is saying, ‘pay attention to this’, and it’s in his top five.”
Her novel’s presence on The Tonight Show proved that Palestinian characters, often relegated to the margins or exclusively confined to stories of conflict, could thrive in a romantic comedy, to tell jokes and fall in love even as they carried the weight of their history.
“We are more than our trauma, and it’s a hard thing to balance,” she says. “We are allowed to laugh. Joy is a basic human right.”
The biog
Prefers vegetables and fish to meat and would choose salad over pizza
Walks daily as part of regular exercise routine
France is her favourite country to visit
Has written books and manuals on women’s education, first aid and health for the family
Family: Husband, three sons and a daughter
Fathiya Nadhari's instructions to her children was to give back to the country
The children worked as young volunteers in social, education and health campaigns
Her motto is to never stop working for the country
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES
Mar 10: Norwich(A)
Mar 13: Newcastle(H)
Mar 16: Lille(A)
Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)
Apr 2: Brentford(H)
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
- 1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
- 2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
- 3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
- 4th ODI, Sunday, April 16
Squads:
- UAE: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
- Zimbabwe: Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
Brief scoreline:
Crystal Palace 2
Milivojevic 76' (pen), Van Aanholt 88'
Huddersfield Town 0
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Company%20profile
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The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
THE SCORES
Ireland 125 all out
(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)
UAE 125 for 5
(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)
UAE won by five wickets
