Abstract
The second half of the twentieth century Saudi Arabia witnessed an extraordinary economic boom that resulted from the oil production. The new wealth changed people's life and instead of the old and impoverished life, there started a new one of unimaginable riches and wealth. This sudden metamorphosis has had negative psychological impacts such as alienation and estrangement on Saudis who, unexpectedly, found themselves in an entirely new world. Fand Al-Atiq's novel Life on Hold depicts this economic transformation and its impact on the life of Saudi people. The aim of this paper is to analyze Al-Atiq's usage of alienation as a consequence of modernity and consumerism in Saudi Arabia. The paper examines Al-Atiq's disappointment with modernity as a culture of alienation in its celebration of appearance and superficiality which necessitates the need to look beyond the surface.