The Map of Love

The central love story in The Map of Love, by Adhaf Soueif, by itself would have been enough to keep me enthralled, with its passion played out against a backdrop of political and cultural upheaval in the Ottoman empire. But Soueif takes this 19th century tale further by telling it though the lens of women living in Egypt and the United States in the late 20th century, when the political landscape has changed almost as much as it has remained the same. This book offers a fascinating look at life in Egypt (especially for women) at the turn of the century as seen through the eyes of Anna, an Englishwoman. As Anna's great grand-daughter, Isabel, and grand-niece, Amal, try to piece Anna's story together, they face many of the same obstacles and triumphs that Anna experienced. Unfortunately, Isabel and Amal are not drawn with nearly as much depth or clarity as Anna herself. The book ends with many unanswered questions. No doubt this was intentional, and I can't help wondering if Soueif intends to write a sequel that will tell the story of the lost years between Anna's life and Isabel's/Amal's. Or, maybe I just missed something in the first reading.... I think I will have to read this book again to catch things I may have missed. I kept hoping the contemporary love story would develop even half of the passion of Anna's, but circumstances (some quite unlikely) kept this out of reach. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and learning about different cultures.