Areej Gamal
Hoopoe
24 March 2026
200
eBook - PDF
Contemporary Fiction
ARC via Edelweiss
It is during the 2011 Egyptian revolution that Arwa and Mariam meet in a subway station near Cairo University. Arwa has returned from Germany to join the protests, and their chance encounter is to change the course of Mariam’s sheltered existence.
They tell each other the stories of their mothers and grandmothers, the histories that have brought them to this point. Mariam was born in Saudi Arabia, and first set foot in Egypt after both her parents were killed in a car accident. Arwa’s mother also died a tragic, early death, and she, traveling in the opposite direction as Mariam, left Egypt to escape.
This is a mesmerizing and otherworldly debut novel about finding salvation and finding oneself, despite the anguish and traumas of the past. It pivots on the present moment of Arwa and Mariam’s unexpected union, and at its heart is a recognition of the women who came before them.
I really enjoyed the first half of Mariam, It's Arwa. I found Mariam's story and history interesting, especially in relation to the commencement of her relationship with Arwa. In the second half of the book, though, I lost interest a little when it began to feel a tad repetitive, and when Arwa's narrative took over, which I didn't find quite as compelling and which felt rushed compared to Mariam's. Nonetheless, the book offered an intriguing reflection on Egypt in a time of revolution, seen through the eyes of two young people breaking out of the conventions imposed upon them and coming into their own. I am giving it 3.5 stars.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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