Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed, translated by Deena Mohamed
This graphic novel trilogy in one volume is set in a version of our world where wishes are a commodity that can be bought and sold. One man, Shokry, is the owner of a kiosk in Cairo, where he sells a variety of goods. In conversation with one of his regular customers, Shawqia, he reveals that he has three first class wishes, given to him by his father, but his father also counselled him never to use them.
Shawqia urges him to sell them, and one of her young relatives makes him a sign.
We gradually learn more about the world, including the bureaucracy around wishes in Egypt and internationally, and later about the history of these particular wishes.
Each part of the trilogy deals with one of the wishes and what happens to it. We see the struggle each of the users of the wish undergo as they determine how to use it, and how their situation in life affects that use. The first wish user, Aziza, comes from a working class background and struggles with personal loss, survival, and a bureaucracy that isn't fair. The next wish user, Nour is a college student from a wealthy background and struggles with depression. Nour isn't sure how or whether to use the wish to help himself with his mental state. The last user is Shokry himself, who struggles with the vast need he sees across his community, the personal health of a woman he has come to know, and his father's and his religion's stance regarding the wishes.
This trilogy was originally written in Arabic and the book is still structured for the right to left reading of it. The novel won awards in its original form, and gives insight into a culture and place I am not personally familiar with. The translation of the title is a fairy tale rhyme that means "your wish is my command" and thus fits perfectly with the contents.
No comments:
Post a Comment