A review by runkefer
Gate of the Sun: Bab Al-Shams by Elias Khoury

3.0

Lyrical and beautiful writing, but I found it a bit of a slog. It’s very long. It’s also very stream of consciousness and difficult to figure out at times whose story is being told and by whom—sometimes firsthand, sometimes secondhand, sometimes third hand. That’s the intended effect, I believe, so I finally had to let go of being able to follow 100% of what was going on. I did feel immersed most of the time in the stories of refugees and homeless, stateless people, and their hopes, desires, and perseverance. A worthwhile read, although not always a pleasant one.