i desperately want to love this book but it suffers from over-explanation. while “show not tell” is a helpful guideline and not a rule, it’s as if saadawi avoids it like the plague. everything that happens, every plot point, is told as-is in the plainest language and structure possible. each time something symbolic happens or there might be any kind of deeper meaning gleaned by the events described, saadawi immediately explains it. despite the deep mystery felt by the characters, there is no mystery or interpretation for the reader. the book’s premise is so compelling but instead falls flat. it truly reads like an unedited first draft as has been confiscated by the authorities in the book, in the most disappointing way possible. 

it still gets 3 stars for an incredible premise, which honestly seems to have carried it to the acclaim it’s received, certainly not the writing.