Book Review: The Twenty-Second Day (اليوم الثانى والعشرون) by Mohamed Alaa-El Din

A compelling novel. Mainly a character study of a young Egyptian man at a loss for identity and lacking sexual maturity. It is also a novel about losing yourself in the labyrinth that is modern Egypt. Author Mohamed Alaa-El Din’s (The Idol) style is hypnotic and assured, and his deconstruction of the linear narrative is bold and effective. Recommended.

Book Review: Daughter Faten (الابنة فاتن) by Nai'm Sabry

A good novel, written in clean, spare prose. The plot, about the life of Faten Farouk, a woman who has an absentee father, and how her relationship with him affects her emotionally and psychologically, is masterfully paced. Author Na'im Sabry (The Waves of Autumn) proves once again that he is a master of the Egyptian psycho-sexual novel. Reminiscent of the works of Ihsan Abdel Qodous and Youssef El Seba’y.