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A review by djinnmartini
The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany
4.0
I don't know that people who aren't familiar with the Egyptian Greats [Mahfouz, Taha Hussein] or familiar with Egypt in general will enjoy this book as much [although this particular translation has a really good glossary in the back giving some good political and social context]. Like his literary predecessors, Aswany has a very frank, fatalistic [for lack of a better word], distinctly Egyptian voice, and this leads to some unredemptive [and mildly depressing] moments in the novel, but like Mahfouz and Hussein, he also turns the sad into small fragmented happy things.
Really enjoyed it, miss Egypt now.
Really enjoyed it, miss Egypt now.