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A review by kymme
The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany
2.0
Eh.
Too many characters, for me, with too few interactions among them. I think the author could have reorganized it a bit and written a nice collection of short stories instead... that said, few of the characters' tales really gripped me.
I suppose if you cannot fathom how or why a series of setbacks or disappointments in one's personal life might lead one to religious extremism (a la suicide bombers) or bring one past some other sort of moral edge, this book could be enlightening. But if you can imagine that pretty easily, this book is pretty predictable, and in my book, that means it's pretty put-down-able.
The glossary is nice, though.
Too many characters, for me, with too few interactions among them. I think the author could have reorganized it a bit and written a nice collection of short stories instead... that said, few of the characters' tales really gripped me.
I suppose if you cannot fathom how or why a series of setbacks or disappointments in one's personal life might lead one to religious extremism (a la suicide bombers) or bring one past some other sort of moral edge, this book could be enlightening. But if you can imagine that pretty easily, this book is pretty predictable, and in my book, that means it's pretty put-down-able.
The glossary is nice, though.