One of our favorite debut novels of last year was the brilliant Cairo Circles by Doma Mahmoud. Here’s what Carrie had to say about the book: “Every so often an author is just as good at plotting as they are at developing characters. Mahmoud has crafted a beast of a novel with woven points of view, topics that matter, and enough heart to bring on the feels. I can only hope that this debut is just the beginning.”

We were thrilled to host Doma’s only online event in the States when the book was launched last October. That’s why we’ve chosen Cairo Circles to be our Skylarking book club pick for February. It’s a stunning novel that is going to provoke a lot of conversation. 

Sherif “Sheero” Abdallah is reveling in his newfound independence as a student in New York, free at last from the judgmental gaze of his conservative family in Egypt. When the FBI knocks on his door, he’s convinced it’s a case of mistaken identity – until they show him a picture of his cousin Amir. Amir has perpetrated a horrific attack, and Sheero is forced to return to Cairo and confront the events that have led to the wildly different paths that the cousins’ lives have taken. In contrast to Sheero’s life of privilege and luxury, Amir was forced to wear hand-me-down clothes and suffered at the hands of his neglectful and abusive parents. Over the years the two cousins have grown further and further apart. The lives of these and other young Egyptians intertwine dramatically over the course of over a decade, revealing complex relationships dominated by faith, tradition, social class, and the boundaries of personal freedom. 

Cairo Circles is an epic, multi-perspective page-turner with multiple shifts in both time and space as the story unfolds. Cairo’s streets burst to life on the page. Doma Mahmoud is a bold and inventive new voice in fiction and we can’t wait to discuss this extraordinary book with you.

Attendance is free, as always – we just ask that you purchase a copy of the book from us. We hope to see you there!