The Literary Fiction Shelf

Suleiman's Ring
Sherif Meleka, author
Raymond Stock, translator
Hoopoe Books
www.hoopoebooks.com
c/o American University in Cairo Press
200 Park Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10166
www.aucpress.com
9781649032058, $49.95, HC, 308pp

https://www.amazon.com/Suleimans-Ring-Novel-Hoopoe-Fiction/dp/1649032056

Synopsis: In Alexandria, Egypt, and on the eve of the 1952 Free Officers re= volution, Dawud (who is a struggling musician), is summoned with his best f= riend Sheikh Hassanein to a meeting with Lt. Col. Gamal Abdel Nasser, who s= eeks their help as he mobilizes for the revolution.

Dawud lends Nasser an enchanted silver ring for its powers to bring good lu= ck. The revolution succeeds but Dawud soon grows estranged from his friend = Hassanein, who has joined the Muslim Brotherhood, after he suggests that Da= wud leave Egypt since as a Jew he is no longer welcome.

When Hassanein is arrested, however, destiny draws Dawud into a complex web=
of sexual intrigue and betrayal that threatens to upend his already precar= ious existence.

Set against the backdrop of the simmering political tensions of mid-twentie= th-century Egypt and the Arab-Israeli wars, Sherif Meleka's story of fate a=
nd fortune transports us to another time and place while peeling back the c= urtain on events that still haunt the country to this day.

Can one man or a mere ring alter the events of one's life and the history o=
f a country? Combining elements of magical realism with momentous history, = Suleiman's Ring poses these questions and more in a gripping tale of friend= ship, identity, and the fate of a nation.

Critique: Impressively translated into English for an American readership b=
y Raymond Stock, "Suleiman's Ring" by Sherif Meleka will have a very specia=
l appeal to readers with an interest in contemporary Jewish/Islamic fiction=
.. Original, carefully crafted, memorable, "Suleiman's Ring" is a prized and=
recommended addition to community, college, and university library Literar=
y Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "= Suleiman's Ring" is also readily available in a paperback edition (97816490= 32041, $18.57, www.amazon.com) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.64=
).

Editorial Note #1: Sherif Meleka was born in 1958 into a Coptic Christian f= amily in Alexandria, Egypt. A trained medical doctor, he emigrated to the U= nited States in 1984. He is the author of numerous novels, poetry and short=
story collections in Arabic. Suleiman's Ring is his English-language debut=
.. He currently lives in Jacksonville, Florida, USA.

Editorial Note #2: Raymond Stock is senior instructor of Arabic at Louisian=
a State University with a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations f= rom the University of Pennsylvania (2008). A former resident of Cairo (1990= -2010), he has translated seven books and many short stories by Naguib Mahf= ouz (1911-2006), including Before the Throne, Khufu's Wisdom, The Coffeehou=
se (all AUC Press).

Cocktail
Lisa Alward
https://www.lisaalward.com
Biblioasis
www.biblioasis.com
9781771965620, $16.95, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Cocktail-Lisa-Alward/dp/1771965622

Synopsis: With the publication of "Cocktails", Canadian author Lisa Alward = shares her carefully crated short stories about: A girl receives a bedtime = visit from a drunken party guest, who will haunt her fantasies for years. A=
young mother discovers underneath the wallpaper a striking portrait that a= wakens inconvenient desires. A divorced man distracts himself from the mess=
he's made by flirting with a stranger.

These intimate, immersive short stories explore life's watershed moments, i=
n which seemingly insignificant details (a pot of hyacinths, a freshly pain= ted yellow wall) and the most chance of encounters come to exert a tidal pu= ll.

Set in the swinging sixties and each decade since, the stories comprising "= Cocktail" reveals the schism between the lives we build up around us and ou=
r deepest hidden selves.

Critique: Comprised of exception works of literary and emotional precision,=
"Cocktails" showcases author Lisa Alward's genuine and imaginative flair f=
or the kind of narrative driven storytelling style that is as engaging as i=
t is memorable. While an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for c= ommunity, college, and university library Contemporary Literary Fiction col= lections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Cocktails" is=
also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: The stories by Canadian author Lisa Alward (https://www.lis= aalward.com) have won The Fiddlehead Prize and the Peter Hinchcliffe Short = Fiction Award and have appeared in Best Canadian Stories as well as The Jou= rney Prize Stories. She worked for several years in literary publishing in = Toronto.

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
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To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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