This was my first attempt at reading an Arabic book and it was such a new and mesmerizing experience. I loved the complexity of the characters in the midst of simplistic and clear plots. The writing was wonderful and deep, partly due to the depth of the Arabic language itself but also Ihsan Abdel Quddous' word choice and the way he creates vivid imagery and extended metaphors draw you into the book. Definitely the right choice to encourage me to read more Arabic.