Gini Alhadef

The all-knowing djinn of ancient lore can adopt many forms, but there are times when it chooses the limits of one body, one life. In this bewitching first novel, a djinn takes up residence in a restlessly brilliant woman, guiding her choices in life and love as she chases the satisfaction that eludes her—from a cloistered Florentine boarding school to the glamour of a Milan fashion house to a life beyond her means in 1990s Manhattan. She is as skilled at observing the worlds she moves through as her djinn is skilled at observing her, but an ever-growing self-awareness does not help her to realize her heart’s desires. That is, until the wise djinn puts her in the path of the Princess: imperious octogenarian and mother of a man she can never fully possess. With Diary of a Djinn, Alhadeff has given us a novel of playful intelligence and insight, and a poignant testimony to love’s unpredictable unfolding.

Gini Alhadeff grew up in Egypt, the Sudan, Italy, and Japan. She studied fine art and photography at Harrow in England and at Pratt Institute in New York. She has worked as a translator, founded two literary reviews, Normal and XXIst Century, and is a contributing editor for Travel + Leisure. Alhadeff is the author of a memoir, The Sun at Midday: Tales of a Mediterranean Family. She lives in New York City.