Having read and appreciated the books of Naguib Mafouz and Nawal El-Sadawi, Yasser Abdel Hafez is the third Egyptian author that I read. In "The Book Of Safety", the narrator works for the government, and interviews prisoners about their activities, including Mustafa Ismail, a university professor turned master thief. The latter also blackmails the people whose houses he breaks into, and has written "The Book Of Safety", a kind of manual for thieves.
The novel is not bad, but very slow in its progress. There is an insufficient sense of anticipation and tension about how the narrative will enroll. This is not necessary by itself, if the writing itself is strong enough to keep the reader's attention. As it is, the approach and plot are original, but somehow it is not very memorable. I can recommend Mafouz and El-Sadawi.
