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| ***** Stars |
Palace Walk is easily one of the best, most uniquely written, books I have read this year and - no doubt - in my life. While I did not feel I was left with an in-depth understanding of Egyptian culture after reading this I was left with a picture of the tensions existing across familial and local relationships. At the heart of this book is an indictment against patriarchy and the way it was practiced in Cairo during the 1950s. This charge is then placed against the slippery issue of character and an individuals struggle to stand up for what they believe in.
Even though this is a relatively long read the narrative is essentially a micro plot that establishes itself around episodes involving each member of the family. What unifies each episode is the protagonist of the story called Al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad. As the father his influence on each member of the family is total. Most of the time it is his influence as an oppressive, autocratic disciplinarian. This "ruling" of his family colours their thoughts and decisions constantly but not invariably. One of the major plot points is Yasin’s veneration of his father’s secret, hedonistic, lifestyle. Yasin is presented as a callow individual who never grows up. A corollary of this is that he is one of the only people in the family that truly respects their father. Yasin spends his life attempting to live up to his father’s pleasure seeking ways, though not his discipline.
