Set in the small town called Tarrana in the Nile Delta in the 1930s, Stones of Bobello revolves around nine episodes in the life of a sensitive young Christian boy - a montage of philosophical, mythical, and psychological perspectives that highlights the struggle between polarities of man and woman, Copt and Muslim, dreams and reality.Told in a heartbreakingly lyrical language that rarefies the most ordinary, mundane events, and brings startlingly to life the torpid climate of the Egyptian Delta, the language in Stones of Bobello allows for moments of erotic fantasy as well as an imaginative space where dreams and memories can flourish. A truly beautiful novel that deserves to be read and re-read.

Translated by: Paul Starkey