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A landmark in women's writing set during the struggle for Egyptian independence, called "a must-read set in Cairo" by Electric Literature
February 1946: Cairo is engulfed by demonstrations against the British. Layla's older brother Mahmud returns, wounded in the clashes, and the events of that fateful day mark a turning point in her life, an awakening to the world around her.
Latifa al-Zayyat's acclaimed modern classic follows Layla through her sexual and political coming of age. Her rebellious spirit seeks to free itself from the stifling social codes that dictate a young woman's life, just as Egypt struggles to shake off the yoke of imperialist rule.
"Absorbing . . . Superbly translated . . . Arguably the best modern [Egyptian] novel not written by Nobel laureate Mahfouz."—Kirkus Reviews
"Recommended."—Choice
"Latifa al-Zayyat greatly helped all of us Egyptian writers in our early writing careers."—Naguib Mahfouz
"A pioneering work on many levels."—Al Jadid
"A great anti-colonialist work in a feminist key."—Ferial Ghazoul
"Not only a great novel, but a literary landmark that shaped our consciousness."—Abdel Moneim Tallima