A review by certifiedplayerhater
If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga

dark reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I loved the ideas this book were executing. It was very reminiscent of A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers in premise, but I felt more compelled by this story strictly because I am Sudanese myself and could appreciate the nuance of the cultural divide a bit more. The two characters were both messed up in their own right, but I loved the way each character approached their flaws. The woman was painfully self-aware and almost loathed herself for it, but didn’t do very much to address any of this self loathing at any point, everything under the veil of her class positioning The boy was more outwardly chaotic, with his flaws manifesting as outward forms of harm that were coated with a thick layer of misogyny. These two interactions were illuminating, especially with regards to the ideas of revolution and the fetishizing of the other, better thing. Watching the two going back and forth from their own perspectives was appreciated because each at their own voice. I especially appreciated when the two voices would tangle and you could see how the boy was changing the girl and vice versa. 

Which is what made the third part so disappointing. I don’t know what’s this new trend of authors that explore complex themes needing to spell it out to the reader through the lens of caricatures that are so out of touch. I truly don’t understand why the third part was in the story, as if it couldn’t speak for itself. It feels a little derogatory to the readers to feel the need to so obviously break the tension by introducing a writers room. I understand the idea of wanting to blur reality and fiction, but it’s moments like that that remind me that I’m reading an American who is victim to the nudge-nudge phenomenon so as to remind the reader the struggles they had while publishing it. Honestly I hated that section so much it brought it down one star for me. 
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