Many novels try to portray their historical periods the best way they can. However, few actually perfectly encapsulates their period in holistic way as did The Mills of Beirut (Known in English as Death in Beirut) by the great Lebanese author and journalist Tawfiq Yusuf Awwad. Set in Lebanon shortly after the Arab defeat of in the Six Days War in the late sixties and just before the start of the civil wars, this novel is a microcosm of Lebanon plunging us into the heart of society as we are guided by the story of Tamima, a poor young Shia Muslim girl from the south who is about to graduate high school and dreams of attending university. We follow Tamima’s story as she experiences all the hardships that many face at her age and in her place, especially as she grows intimate with Hani, a Maronite Christian from the north. Through Tamima, we are plunged into issues facing Lebanon from sectarianism, political corruption, political tumult, military conflict, the social discrepancies between the working class and the rising bourgeoisie, and above all, all the sexism, machismo and violence that women face.
Awwad is a great author. His writing has a journalistic style that gives his stories a realistic aspect. Nothing is sensualized or exaggerated. He just wanted to present the situation as it is. Furthermore, no character seems like a caricature. He fleshed every character out the best way he can, avoiding thus an aspect that many authors tend to do, which is making their characters more as symbols, and not three-dimensional human beings. He does not try nor aspire to offer solutions to what we will read. He does not try to offer us solutions to some of the injustices that we discover. Rather, he presents them to us as readers and it up to us as humans to try to find solutions for them.
This is indeed a very good novel and a great introduction to Lebanese literature. I know it was translated to several languages, in case you do not read Arabic, so I do recommend it. Its reputation is well earned.