NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J., April 15, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- When an oil boom hits Saudi Arabia in the 1970s, the country pours its staggering profits into its infrastructure and its educational and health care systems. Foreign workers from around the world flood into the kingdom to provide services. In R. Santamaria's new novel, Expatriate Games (now available through AuthorHouse), she tells of the cultural clash foreign workers face with the repressive Islamic culture and of the secret life they try to keep hidden.
Foreign nationals, smelling a get rich quick opportunity, come to Saudi Arabia to make good money. However, their western ways meet with harsh censorship in this conservative society. Suddenly, they can no longer drink alcohol, go on dates, wear revealing clothes or speak of their own religion. They are locked in a world where doing what comes naturally could get them deported, jailed or flogged and where certain crimes still get punished with hand amputations and beheadings.
Santamaria's story revolves around a group of foreigners employed in a modern hospital in Riyadh. These employees realize that, if they are to stay sane while pursuing their goals, they must bypass the local laws and form an underground lifestyle. When two young American recruits arrive, a series of events threatens to disrupt and expose their subculture. The expatriates confront the threats and fight to preserve the status quo with a fatal intensity.
A gripping tale about two extreme cultures on a collision course, Expatriate Games is also a thrilling, poignant novel rich with insights into the desert lands that spawn present day terrorists.
Santamaria is a Filipino American who spent four years working in Saudi Arabia. She lives in New Jersey.
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