Palace Walk

by Naguib Mahfouz

In this first book of The Cairo Trilogy, readers are introduced to Al Sayyid Ahmad and his family. Al Sayyid Ahmad is the strict and brutal patriarch of the family. He demands piety and obedience in his home, but when he leaves home, he is a drunken, fun-loving libertine. His wife, Amina, is his loyal spouse and loving mother of five:

• Yasin: the eldest son and product of his father’s first marriage. He looks to be the very image of his father, at least in terms of bad behavior;

• Fahmy: the rebel son, who is highly involved in his country’s struggle for independence;

• Khadija: the homely elder sister with a bitter tongue. Her parents are desperately trying to find a spouse for her;

• Aisha: the beautiful younger sister, who has turned down offers of marriage because her older sister is not yet married; and

• Kamal: the youngest son and clearly the most lovable character of this family.

Together, the family will struggles with issues of marriage and fidelity, as well as bigger issues, like Egypt’s struggle for independence from the British. Within their home on Palace Walk, family members will be confronted with the truth of their family members and themselves.

Though it starts out slowly, this novel is engrossing. It took me to a different time and place and allowed me to lose myself in the drama of one Egyptian family.

12/31/12