Originally published in the 1950s, but at the time timeless capturing the past. If I remember correctly, the first author to write the everyday life in Egyptian vernacular. Hemingway jumps to mind when I read these stories, simple language that moves the reader and brings experience to your face, whether you like it or not. These are not modern stories in terms of sexism, and he writes about dominating women, but at the same in his real life, he worked for social justice. Three stories stuck out to me for a different reason. "The Queue" reminds me the most of Hemingway writing. "All on Summer's Night" has a dark undertone of impending doom covered in the hope that you keep reading that what you are reading is what is going to happen and then plot twist. The last one, and the most painful and saddest of them all, is "The Shame," which I find fascinating about the belief of women truths in a man's world is so honest and real, and I had to remind myself that a man in 1950s wrote it, it doesn't end well because the truth isn't pretty.

Recommend.

I received an ARC from Edelweiss and Penguin in return for an honest review.