A review by aront
Mister N by Najwa Barakat

4.0

Beautifully written book by a powerful writer. Be forewarned though that this is yet another book by a writer obsessing about the meaning of writing and it’s connection to reality. The fact that the writer is Lebanese and the story takes place in Beirut adds several additional layers of metaphor, along with almost unbearable sadness and violence, expressing the reality of that city. Sometimes the metaphorical aspects of the story veers close to cliche. I also thought the ending epilogue was unnecessary and diminished the power of the story a bit. Hence four not five stars.