"The Arsonists' City" by Hala Alyan - Review

by Rana Asfour

Yodelius never skips lunch for just anyone! But he agrees that this is our favorite read of 2021 so far! Rich & meaty & moving & infuriating & passionate all at once. Hala Alyan's novel, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is exquisite in every way.

Alyan weaves her story like an artisan at work, stitching together an intricate tapestry, rich with characters that dip in and out of their past as we see them live out their lives in the present: making love, making a living & making mistakes. And despite a common lineage, they all carry secrets that puncture holes into the family’s presumed narrative.
Yodelius never skips lunch for just anyone! But he agrees that this is our favorite read of 2021 so far! Rich & meaty & moving & infuriating & passionate all at once. @halaalyan novel, published by @houghtonmifflinharcourt is exquisite in every way.

Alyan weaves her story like an artisan at work, stitching together an intricate tapestry, rich with characters that dip in and out of their past as we see them live out their lives in the present: making love, making a living & making mistakes. And despite a common lineage, they all carry secrets that puncture holes into the family’s presumed narrative.

A family saga that spans countries (Lebanon, Syria & US) & looks at the legacy of war in the Middle East. A Syrian mother, a Lebanese father & 3 American children make up the Nasr family. The only remaining connection to Beirut lies in an ancestral home their surgeon father is determined to sell after the death of the family’s senior patriarch. The decision means that the now grown up Nasr children, who live in different cities, will have to meet in Beirut to stop their father selling their only inheritance.

What looks to be a chance for a family reunion descends into chaos as the family convenes onto a city weighed down by its legacy of war, an ongoing refugee crisis & religious & political tensions, rubbing up against the secrets and lies each member of the family has been harboring, threatening to sever the already fragile ties.

What sets this apart is that it’s not weighed down by the history of the Civil War in Lebanon & the more recent one in Syria, despite the fact that it is where the Nasr saga begins. The family drama carries universal messages & having it set in the US & Beirut offers readers from both sides the chance to inhabit the skin of the other & view the world through their eyes.

A character-driven novel exceedingly well done, meant to be savored, not rushed through. By the end (it’s 464 pages btw), you feel you know the ENTIRE large cast leaving no ambiguity as to their motives & reactions.

Read it NOW & thank me later :)