The Day the Leader was Killed

The book I decided to read first was The Day the Leader was Killed. The book is set in Cairo, the capital city of Egypt. The year is 1981 and the lives of the city’s citizens are in a tough time as a cause of the current president’s economic policy. A middle-class family that is facing these harsh times narrates this story. Actually, there are only three people who narrate this story. The first narrative character we are introduced to is Muhtashimi Zayed, who is the grandfather of this family. He often is giving advice to anyone who he comes in contact with and is knowledgeable about life in general. Elwan is his grandson who at the moment is facing some difficult decisions in his life and hopes he chooses the right path. The last character that narrates this story is Elwan’s fiancée, Randa. She is a very opinionated women although too like Elwan has a difficulty with making decisions in her life. The chapters are about five pages in length so it felt like I was accomplishing a good deal of the book in less time. I was skeptical at first about this book in general. I was expecting, with a title like this one, an Indiana Jones type storyline. The book focuses on the day-to-day lives of these three characters and their involvement with family, work, and society. Each character speaks in first person with each chapter being titled as to whom is going to be narrating the story next. For example, the first chapter is titled, Muhtashimi Zayed, then the second Elwan, and the third Randa. This pattern is continuous throughout the entire book with the grandfather of course having the last thoughts.