Saudi writer Fahd al-Atiq explores Riyadh city that he describes as the city of masks “like a pressure cooker that’s about to explode,” a city that sleeps on a pile of words that no one dares to utter. Saudi society has split into two camps, one adopting the slogan that God is strict in punishment, the other that God is merciful and forgiving. The author explores this world through the character of Khaled, whose dysfunctional life bridges the gap between the old impoverished world of Najd and consumerism years after various oil booms.
