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A review by brettpet
The Ardent Swarm by Yamen Manai
3.0
The Ardent Swarm is a lovely little novel/novella about the impact of Arab Spring on tight-knit communities. Tons of connections to be drawn between the main character Sidi's bee colonies and the village he lives in, with both communities responding to outside stressors in similar ways. Writing wise, I didn't have much to complain about—Yamen Manai's prose (granted, I read the translated version) is effective and sets up the stakes quickly.
Overall, I just wished the book was longer. Certain sections are far too brief, such as the introduction to characters like Tahar and Jannet, and I felt like I needed more time with the setting. This is a very digestible and approachable novel, and it could have been expanded into something much deeper with another 100 pages (usually I'm saying the opposite with books, so I mean this as a compliment). I really liked the ending, not sure if other readers found it too predictable but it felt a bit like a folk tale and was? Definitely recommend this book and am looking forward to reading more from Manai.
Overall, I just wished the book was longer. Certain sections are far too brief, such as the introduction to characters like Tahar and Jannet, and I felt like I needed more time with the setting. This is a very digestible and approachable novel, and it could have been expanded into something much deeper with another 100 pages (usually I'm saying the opposite with books, so I mean this as a compliment). I really liked the ending, not sure if other readers found it too predictable but it felt a bit like a folk tale and was