One Year Gap

In "One Year Gap," Ihsan, feeling overwhelmed by her parents' constant control over her life, makes a desperate plea for her own wish to be granted. This leads to an unexpected proposition from her father: she can study abroad, but only if she agrees to marry. His condition is that she marries Sadeeq, the nineteen-year-old son of Alhaji Mustapha, who studies in Qatar, meaning she would also study there. Ihsan is shocked, revealing a mere one-year age difference between them and expressing her disdain for Sadeeq, whom she doesn't see as a man. Despite her tears and protests that he is too young and unsuitable, her father insists Sadeeq will care for her health. The novel explores Ihsan's potential path: will she accept studying abroad under these circumstances, marrying a man she looks down upon, and navigating the challenges of her health and this forced union, all while grappling with the "one year gap"?