How Arab writers are finally embracing the crime fiction genre

Mona's is a society obsessed with appearances, professing adherence to ethical and religious values but instead practising hypocrisy, abusing power, and violating sanctities. In such a society, such a scandal could kill Mona socially.

Between the two stories, Dabbour includes a third narrative concerning the publication of the manuscript of Arabian Nights itself, detailing the numerous attacks and censorship it faced due to its strong representation of freedom.

This begins with its first story which challenges norms and conventions, tackling taboo subjects like sex, religion, and rulers, addressing the relationship between men and women, and discussing myths and legends.

The journey of publishing and discovering the tales of Arabian Nights therefore becomes another adventure, the author tracing its path from then until now.

The Cinnamon Lady

Rahma Diaa transports us to the world of culinary delights in her novel The Cinnamon Lady (2024). The protagonist's father, a famous chef called Tawfiq, is discovered to have been murdered during the autopsy.

His daughter Mimmi overcomes the shock of the news and goes through her father's letters, uncovering secrets about his life. The reader goes with her on this journey, until the culprit is revealed.

The novel focuses more on the exceptional relationship between Mimmi and her father than on the murder itself. Her mother, who has been absent, reappears after Tawfik's death, only to reveal that Mimmi has a half-sister. Mimmi learns to navigate this new world that her father had shielded her from in his own unique way.

This is, in part, a culinary novel, with readers getting immersed recipes throughout. This adds to its flavour (pardon the pun). It also significantly influences how Mimmi eventually reacts to the revelation of the murderer's identity.

The Cinnamon Lady is much more than a book about a crime. It intricately traces Mimmi's profound transformation, which she articulates clearly, as she learns of—and then accepts—the secrets of her father's life.

It is also a journey of reconciliation with her mother, after circumstances had driven them apart. How Mimmi navigates and confronts this new reality, particularly in the aftermath of such a poignant and challenging experience, is the book's core.

White As Far As The Eye Can See

In White As Far As The Eye Can See by Mohamed Abdelrazek (2024), we are taken to a village filled with relationships, secrets, and mysteries.

The novel begins with the death of a young girl, Yasmin, whose family do not know if it was suicide or murder. As they seek the answer, we come to understand the nature of their lives and the stories and secrets they carry.

While the focus is on the crime, which revolves around Yasmin's body, the author manages to introduce us to the characters and their personalities, which allows it to go from a crime story to a psychological and social narrative.

Here, the reader comprehends the dimensions, motivations, and stories of each character of various ages and social positions, including Grandma Halima, who, upon hearing the news, strives to maintain her control.

No news of suicide spreads, and no investigation into the cause of death is conducted. However, amidst the shock, things do not unfold according to her wishes.

The author uses an omniscient narrator to introduce family members, their relationships, histories, conflicts, and crises. Between their simple village lives and their aspirations for city life, their dreams are torn apart and lost.

The father, Mas'ad, does all he can to give his family a life away from poverty. His wife, Hala, works in a cotton factory, but she returns to the village in despair.

Alongside them, we encounter other social classes: from the forensic doctor responsible for determining the cause of death, to the police officer investigating the case to the common folk who follow and share the details in bewilderment and defeat.

Longa

In Longa by Mariam Abdel-Aziz (2024), a different world of crime is explored, starting with the disappearance of a resident from a downtown building and the discovery of his body days later by his neighbours, revealing a murder.

We then learn about the victim—a musician—and begin to identify potential suspects, yet from the very first lines, it does more than tell the story of the killer and the crime.

We enter the musician's world in downtown Cairo, getting to know about his life, his problems, and his special relationship with his work. In each paragraph, the author richly depicts the lives of its diverse characters. Music appears at multiple levels, reflected in the structure of the book.

As explained in the novel's introduction, Longa is an "Arab musical form characterised by sudden transitions and speed in performance, consisting of four sections, each section called 'khana' (section) with a repeated part called 'tasleem' (refrain)".

The author employs this structure in her novel, dividing it into four khana sections, through which we learn about the building, its residents, and their relationship with the victim.

There is another death in the book, which seems natural. It is that of a young neighbour called Khalid, nicknamed The Chill. It appears the author intended to create intersections between these two deaths.

Tawfik finds solace only in his oud, pouring out his sighs and sorrows. He is surprised to find that the young man shares a common burden with him, even if he does not fully realise what it is.

The book follows police investigations to a surprise ending, but it is between the world of the murdered musician, the chill young man, and the residents of the building from various social strata, that the novel unfolds.