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A review by steller0707
The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany
4.0
The Yacoubian Building in Cairo, has seen better days. It's a sort of reverse "upstairs, downstairs" building, with the more wealthy living in multi room apartments on one of the ten floors, while the poor live in small tin huts on the roof. The novel is about the fictional people in the building who experience life in Egypt with corrupt politicians, shady businessmen, and fundamental Islamists. There are only two chapters: the first serves as introduction to the colorful characters, with vivid indications of their station in life; the second provides the stories of their survival.
Aswany is both a dentist and a writer. His political views are well-known from his column in the Cairo newspaper and his political activism. The novel was wildly popular in Egypt and the rest of the Arab world when it was published in the early 2000s. He doesn't preach a particular side but instead shows the view points rampant in society. Particularly vivid are the depiction of political corruption and the training of jihadists.
Aswany is both a dentist and a writer. His political views are well-known from his column in the Cairo newspaper and his political activism. The novel was wildly popular in Egypt and the rest of the Arab world when it was published in the early 2000s. He doesn't preach a particular side but instead shows the view points rampant in society. Particularly vivid are the depiction of political corruption and the training of jihadists.