I feel it necessary to make a distinction here. This is not a book that is hard to read - the language is straight forward, the story easy to follow, etc. But note that it took me two months to finish this book, because I just had a hard time making myself sit down and read it. While vaguely interesting, I didn't feel any sense of connection to the characters or to what they go through. So while I didn't find it hard to read, I did find it hard to make myself read it.
Enjoyability:
I am so disappointed not to like this book. I was excited about it - a book from a non-Western writer that the back cover claims is about "flawed and fragile humanity," particularly about Egyptian society and the juxtaposition between the current era and the values and traditions of the past. Sounds promising, right? Unfortunately... how do I say this nicely? I hated it. The story moved around too much, the characters were flawed to the point of not being relatable or even likable, although sensitive topics like homosexuality and women's rights were covered in what might seem to some a "progressive way," I felt like they were included for the sake of including them and the bias and values of Al Aswany himself were what really showed through. There are places where a character or story line becomes engaging for a time, but as a whole I found this book frustrating and disappointing.
Favorite character: Probably Busayna, just because I felt sorry for her. She is a young girl who ends up doing some fairly un-savory things out of financial obligation for her family, and she struck me as one of the strongest characters. The frustrating of her story is that she ultimately marries someone who does not seem fit for her with only a brief explanation of how or why this would happen, and the ending is rushed - what about all the trauma she went through? And then she fell in love and everything was hunky dory? I don't think so. It didn't feel credible, and I wish we would have seen more emotional depth from her.
Most un-favorite character: Sooo many to choose from. Practically all the characters besides Busayna are just jerks in one way or another, taking advantage of each other or being corrupt or what have you. I may have to pick Hatim Rasheed, who is a wealthy newspaper man who is an extremely unhappy person, largely because he is gay and lives in a society that does not accept that and largely views him as morally reprehensible. What I couldn't stand about him is how he treats this guy that he supposedly loves, and is just horrible to - manipulative, coercive, etc. I can almost never condone violence, but this is a case when I'm tempted to say he got what he deserved.
Best Quotes:
Whatever.
Recommended for:
People who want to learn about modern Egyptian society, people who like to read about scandal but don't mind unsatisfying endings, people who can read a whole book even when they don't care about any of the characters.
Want a better version of this style of novel, with focus on multiple story lines and culture? See Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey, or Home Town by Tracy Kidder for a non-fiction version. Both of them are excellent.
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