Longlist International Price for Arabic Fiction, 2025
In the late afternoon of August 4th, 2020, Zeina, a housemaid, makes her way home after a long day’s work. As she walks along the busy street, she reflects on how Beirut remains vibrant despite the collapse of the economy, deep political divisions, and being the subject of regional and international power struggles. When Zeina reaches her house, a huge chemical explosion occurs at Beirut’s port, the largest event of its kind since the atomic bomb hit Hiroshima.
