Deena ElGenaidi

It’s 2012, and post-revolution Egypt is sparking with political energy—but Hannah and Zain are numb. The flight from New York to Cairo is long—longer still for two siblings on a journey to bury their mother. When they discover their father’s unforgivable betrayal, what’s left of their family crumbles. Hannah gives up her spot at Columbia Law to remain in Egypt, where she navigates romantic entanglements and a new culture. Back in America, Zain’s self-destructive behavior begins to catch up with him, leaving him to wonder whether he’s any different from his father. When the siblings reunite in Cairo months later, Zain is nearing rock bottom, and Hannah finds herself in the middle of the Arab Spring uprising. Together they confront shared secrets and reconcile their conservative upbringing with their new beliefs as adults. Will they heal together, or has the loss of their only bridge—their mother—set them permanently adrift? A tender reflection on the effects of grief and loss, this deeply felt novel explores how siblings come together to mend a fractured family and, in the process, find themselves.