Waguih Ghali takes us on a trip back in time to an era where today’s taboos used to be the norm. It is somewhat considered a semi-autobiography since the main character is based on Ghali, going through a time of discrimination and soul searching trying to find an identity. The book is set during Gamal Abdel Nasser’s time where the elite was diminishing, alcohol was being sold in El Gezira Sporting Club and Groppi, and the dynamic political unrest starting with the British colonization and Nasser’s reign. It mostly focuses on the struggles one has to face to find peace within, while in search of a definite identity. This book tells history from an entirely different perspective. Considering the fact that we don’t know much about Egypt’s history, Ghali’s book is extremely informative in that department. It gives a clearer scope of Egypt and an explanation to why it is the way it is now; history tends to repeat itself. The book is a trip down memory lane with all its ups and downs, uncertainty, and unreasonable endings, Ghali took us on an emotional rollercoaster.
