A book club in Nairobi that are focusing on reading and promoting African literature across the continent chose this book. I’m all for supporting African Authors so thought GET IN!!

Well I finished this in little more than a day and find when I can’t put a book down it definitely deserves 5 stars!

This is an original Egyptian Arabic novel translated into English by Humphrey Davies who has done a good job of keeping the feel of Arabic sentiments and descriptions.

There are so many stories going on in this crazy, full of drama, never a dull moment novel.
The book is made of several characters all at a cross section from different classes living in the same building in modern day Cairo.

It has everything you could want from an Egyptian story, corruption, misery, Islamism and plenty of love stories.

Aswany has done beautiful work of representing the Egyptian culture to a T!!

I definitely recommend it and there is also a movie on YouTube to follow on after finishing the novel...yay!