Temporary People

A fearlessly original and urgently necessary novel of linked stories that give voice to the unsung lives of the 'guest workers' of the Persian Gulf.



In the UAE, the majority of the population consists of foreigners brought in to construct the skylines of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This labour force works miserably without the rights of citizenship and, after enforced retirement, is required to leave. Until now, the humanitarian crisis of the so-called 'guest workers' of the Gulf has not been addressed in fiction. With his stunning, mind-altering book Temporary People Deepak Unnikrishnan delves into their histories, myths, struggles and triumphs, and illuminates the ways in which temporary status affects psyches, families, stories and more.