Memoirs of a Woman Doctor, 2019, Nawal El Saadawi ****

Nawal El Saadawi, I wonder why she has not yet won the Nobel Literature Prize. Memoirs of a Woman Doctor narrates the story of a girl who is forced to grow up in a society dominated by men. 

"because from early childhood a girl is brought up to believe that she's a body and nothing more, so her body becomes her main concern for the rest of her life, and she doesn't realise that she's got a mind as well which must be looked after and encouraged to develop"

"How can a woman live alone without a man? Why is she going out? Why is she coming in? Why is she smiling? Why is she breathing? Why is she taking gulps of fresh air? Why is she looking at the moon? Why does she hold her head up and open her eyes wide? Why does she tread with confidence and

Palace of Desire (The Cairo Trilogy #2), 1957 by Naguib Mahfouz

At long last I am finally done with this novel. Last two years I read the first part of the trilogy which I thoroughly enjoyed, please click here. In Palace of desire, the family saga continues. Al-Sayyid Ahmad is done mourning the death of one of his sons who died in the first sequel, he went back to his life of alcohol and women, though he realised he has aged. He decides to keep a young mistress. 

Kamal his youngest son falls in love with a

Love in Exile, 1995, Bahaa Taher *****

The title of this novel is misleading, of course love is one of the  themes discussed. However, I must say that it is a highly political read heavily based on the Sabra and Shatila Massacre that occurred in 1982.  The narrator is a journalist who leaves his homeland in Egypt and flees to Geneva where he works from, leaving behind his estranged wife and children. He tells us about his life in Swiss followed by the story of Pedro Ibañez's torture and the killing of his brother in Chile, as it was believed that they were supporters of the socialist president Salvador Allende. That is when he met Brigitte the woman he fell in love with, who is also living in exile. 

As the story unfolds, we find out that Brigitte was once married to a political refugee from Equatorial Guinea, however their love couldn't survive the height of racism in her home country, Austria.

While, the narrator is living in exile, civil war breaks out in Lebanon. Tension between Israel and Palestine is high. Israel used the attempted assassination of

Palace Walk (The Cairo Trilogy #1), 1956, Naguib Mahfouz *****

Palace  Walk is a story set in the beginning of the 20th century. The story of Ahmad Al Jaawad and his house hold in a continuously evolving Egypt. He has a son, Yasin, with his first wife. Their marriage is quickly followed by a divorce because she is a woman of her own ways and wouldn't tolerate her husband's control.

Ahmad marries for the second time to Amina, a submissive woman in every sense of the word. Together they have Khadidja, Aisha, Fahmy and Kamal. Ahmad rules his household with an iron hand and instills fear in his children and wife. For instance, he asks his wife to leave when he finds out that she left the house without his permission in his absence.

However, what his family does not know is that Ahmad is a totally different character when he is with his friends, he loves music, women and wine. Yasin, his oldest son, soon discovers his father's other facet and realises where his own

Lyrics Alley, 2010, Leila Aboulela ****

Mahmoud Bey, fallen out of love with his first wife, Waheeba, brought in to his traditional Sudanese household a beautiful Egyptian woman as his second wife. Filing for divorce would have been best before marrying for the second time, however, he decided not to. Perhaps, it was because of the two sons he has with her (Waheeba)? Nassir and Nur. Though, Nassir was hopeless and Nur who was assumed would take up the family business ended up helpless.
Mahomoud Bey's brother, Idris with whom he lives and runs the family business, is widowed with three daughters. His first daughter was barely mentioned, the second daughter, Fatima, married her (hopeless) cousin Nassir, while Soraya was informally betrothed to his cousin Nur, everyone's favourite until calamity befell him.

As you can see "Lyrics Alley" narrates the story of a wealthy Sudanese family striving against all odds to live up to their reputation. Keeping up with old tradition and culture that shows little or no regard for women. Even though, their younger generation were singing a different tune.

I discovered Leila Aboulela through her short stories, she has a somewhat intimate way of narrating. I went ahead and read Minaret and really enjoyed it. I cannot say the same for Lyrics Alley. It is not a family saga, not even close to it, it is simply a very well written love story that unfolded in a family setting. Do not be deceived with the family tree at the beginning of the novel (which helped). Nonetheless, there is no dramatic metamorphosis, it is more or less a 300 pages novel. I recommend.

Woman at Point Zero, 1975, Nawal El Saadawi ****

Firdaus was born into a poverty- stricken family in Egypt, to an ignorant selfish father and a mother with a dubious identity. When both of them died, her uncle to whom she considered her only living relative, sexually took advantage of her while he enrolled her to secondary school. Sadly, after which, she was decided to be married out to an old widow, who also took his turn to abuse her. The situation became unbearable, she fled.

On the run, she met the owner of a coffee shop, who seems to be nice at first, until she asked to be self-sufficient. He found it outrageous; hence, started the physical, mental and sexual abuse towards Firdaus. Fortunately, once again, she managed to take to the hills.  Freedom regained, she met a woman who "out of kindness" employed her as a high class prostitute. Life turned out unpleasant, expectedly. She escaped.
From experience, she learnt that she could as well exploit her own body to her heart desire. Which, she did and made fortunes. One thing led to another, and in self-defence she killed a man. Eventually, she found herself locked up in women's prison waiting to be executed.

I could not believe that this story was a non-fiction, how can one woman be so misfortuned and brutalized by every single individual she ran into. In fact, it happened in Egypt, some time around the early 70s. It is a creative non-fiction narrated to Nawal El Saadawi during her research on neurosis in Egyptian women. This novel is a result of her encounter with a woman, Firdaus, in Qanatir Prison Egypt. There is no any other title that could have suited better than "Woman at Point Zero".

I am sure that this is no more the fate of the Egyptian women today, or so do I believe. Considering the fact that this was a reading experience that tore my heart out. This novel was originally written in Arabic and translated into English eight years later. The writing style is quite easy, perhaps sometimes repetitious. All the same, I recommend to adults only. Firdaus' story deserves to be read and known

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