This is the old-fashioned kind of novel where every tendril of a family's relationships is allowed to grow, twist, and come into the light. Each of the characters is complex: a tyrannical, loving, religious, and hedonistic father and a pious, put-upon, rebellious and repressive mother are just two of them. The youngest son is an innocent who brings a comic touch wherever he goes. The other brothers and sisters have their own stories and contradictions. They took a while to grow on me, but by the end of the book I loved them all

Spoiler

and mourned the death of Fahmy, the one who was most like me.

I also learned about Egypt during World War I, under the "protectorate" of the British, and the emergence of the Wafd party seeking independence.

It was hard to read parts of this book because of the oppression of women throughout. It will be a while before I pick up the next part of the trilogy. But I think ultimately I will read it all.