How ‘A Wild Companion’ reconnects Saudis with the natural world

RIYADH: “You are never alone in the mountains.” That is the promise that greets readers in the opening pages of “A Wild Companion: Sarawat and Hijaz,” a bilingual exploration of the wildlife, plants, stories and cultural memory of western Saudi Arabia’s highlands. Conceived as a “friendly sage” rather than a conventional field guide, A Wild Companion blends science, folklore, poetry,...