As a child, Nadia was left with her grandparents in Egypt, while her mother sought work in the Gulf. Decades later, she looks back on her fragmented childhood from an uncertain present: it is 2011 and the streets have erupted in an unexpected revolution. Her activist father, the sole anchor in her life, encourages her to be a part of the protests and so Nadia joins the sit-in at Tahrir Square.

Donia Kamal’s succinct, candid prose draw us into Nadia’s world: from the private to the public; from the men she has loved and lost, to her participation in the momentous events of the Egyptian revolution. Stunning in its simplicity, Cigarette Number Seven is a deeply intimate novel about family and relationships in turbulent times.

Reviews

“A carefully paced novel . . . [its] narrative is rooted in history, making for a captivating read.”
—Arab News

“Kamal is a welcome voice . . . her artistry on the page, translated expertly by Youssef, rings as true as it is enlightening. This book is a bull’s-eye.”
—Words Without Borders