"Alaa Al Aswany is among the best writers in the Middle East today, a suitable heir to the mantle worn by Naguib Mahfouz, his great predecessor." Jay Parini, The Guardian (UK) ? From one of Egypt's most acclaimed novelists, here is a vivid chronicle of Egyptian society, with penetrating analysis of all the most urgent issues-economic stagnation, police brutality, poverty, the harassment of women and of the Christian minority, to name a few-that led...