Form, Function, and Dual Perspectives
'If An Egyptian Cannot Speak English' by Noor Naga
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The last time I felt this exhilarated by an original enmeshment of structure and story was with Rachel Cusk’s Outline trilogy. So often when a writer takes a risk with form they don’t quite nail the landing, and I’m left with the whiff of a high school English extension assignment. No embarrassing overreach here, though. If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English has a daring three-part structure which Noor Naga’s sentence-level excellence completely pulls off. On top of this great craft there’s also the fact that the narrative takes places in the medium-term aftermath of the Arab Spring and manages to discuss identity politics with grit and humour. This book got me excited in that specific way great art makes you feel grateful; grateful to the artist for making the gargantuan effort it takes to birth a book of such ambition, and grateful to have my creative horizons expanded by reading it.
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