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A review by azaadsadiq
The City Always Wins by Omar Robert Hamilton
4.0
The City Always Wins is an admirable novel, if sometimes hard to get through (though the months it took me to finish this reflects more poorly on my own reading habits than the novel's quality).
Of all the revolutions to use for a fictional narrative, the 2011 Egyptian Revolution is especially challenging. The ultimate fate of the Revolution makes it hard to create a compelling narrative in the vein of traditional revolutionary fiction, so Hamilton instead embraces the inherent pessimism that would manifest from a revolution that ultimately ended up where it started. Consequently, the violence and despair that permeate the novel are conveyed through nondescript prose that conveys a sense of banality to the protests and their aftermath, as if to suggest what happened was expected to the point of being inevitable. Given Hamilton's filmmaking experience, this might be expected.
Nevertheless, the beige prose is rich with feeling. The hope, despondency and anger that characterised the democracy movement shines through as vividly as Hamilton's characterisation of Cairo and Egypt. Another impressive feat of his is his ability to highlight the impact of the revolution on ordinary people, demonstrating the human cost of political turmoil.
However, the novel's not perfect. The supporting characters aren't the most fleshed out, and that simplicity extends to the portrayal of the Muslim Brotherhood. Whilst I, like Hamilton, oppose it, it would've been worthwhile to get an examination of why it enjoyed genuine support within the novel and real life. Speaking of which, the change to the structure that occurs with Morsi's rise to power makes for an abrupt change in the reading experience.
Ultimately, there is a lot to recommend about The City Always Wins, and its a great read for those interested in political and MENA centred fiction.
Of all the revolutions to use for a fictional narrative, the 2011 Egyptian Revolution is especially challenging. The ultimate fate of the Revolution makes it hard to create a compelling narrative in the vein of traditional revolutionary fiction, so Hamilton instead embraces the inherent pessimism that would manifest from a revolution that ultimately ended up where it started. Consequently, the violence and despair that permeate the novel are conveyed through nondescript prose that conveys a sense of banality to the protests and their aftermath, as if to suggest what happened was expected to the point of being inevitable. Given Hamilton's filmmaking experience, this might be expected.
Nevertheless, the beige prose is rich with feeling. The hope, despondency and anger that characterised the democracy movement shines through as vividly as Hamilton's characterisation of Cairo and Egypt. Another impressive feat of his is his ability to highlight the impact of the revolution on ordinary people, demonstrating the human cost of political turmoil.
However, the novel's not perfect. The supporting characters aren't the most fleshed out, and that simplicity extends to the portrayal of the Muslim Brotherhood. Whilst I, like Hamilton, oppose it, it would've been worthwhile to get an examination of why it enjoyed genuine support within the novel and real life. Speaking of which, the change to the structure that occurs with Morsi's rise to power makes for an abrupt change in the reading experience.
Ultimately, there is a lot to recommend about The City Always Wins, and its a great read for those interested in political and MENA centred fiction.