The City Always Wins

Omar Robert Hamilton Faber €18.20 ‘What do you do when the world stops moving forward?’ That despairing question lies at the heart of this remarkable debut novel, set in Cairo during the doomed Egyptian revolution of 2011. For young, idealistic lovers Khali and Mariam, the overthrow of president Mubarak seems to usher in a new era in the history of their country, with Cairo reinventing itself as the New York of the Middle East. Alas, revolution is followed swiftly by bitter disillusionment – a rollercoaster emotional journey that Omar Robert Hamilton, drawing on first-hand experience, captures with thrilling immediacy.