Cairo: a bustling metropolis with its mix of ancient and modern flavours. This is kitchen-sink drama Egyptian style where the people, not their city, are the main ingredient. A collection to be savoured.
Extract
She hated the quiet, green, clean surroundings of Maadi, a garden suburb of Cairo, and counted the days till she would be back home in noisy, dusty, crowded downtown Cairo. Trees, gardens and birds chirping in the morning were not her thing. She was used to hearing honking, loud voices, and backgammon pieces slapped hard on wooden boards in downtown cafes, at all hours of the day and late into the night.
Parallels
The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany
Oleander, Jacaranda:A Childhood Perceived by Penelope Lively
