I Sweep the Sun Off Rooftops

I have read all of her books, and Al-Shaykh never ceases to amaze me with her talent. This book (as well as her others) are eccentric, meaningful, and fascinating. Although Women of Sand and Myrrh is probably my favorite of this author, Rooftops come in at a close second.

Although the backgrounds of the women in these stories are diverse, from an educated Europeanized Arab woman, modern and not-so-modern women living in Arab countries, and a European refugee into Arab lands, they share similar concerns: alientation, fear of being consumed by marriage and/or men, the conflict between independence (the West) and security (the Mid East/Islamic). The stories are neither happy nor sad, but thoughtful and deep, with more a sense of melancholy hanging over them. The author's narrative style is mostly straightforward, and frequently told from a female perspective. Men are not the bogeyman, but often seemed caught in their own constructed lives as well.

This is a fascinating collection of short stories. Nearly all are very readable without once checking how many pages you have left.The first few stories depend primarily on the plot, and to an extent the element of surprise or shock. Don't read reviews that take you step by step into every story. You as a reader can never really guess where Hanan Al Sheikh is going with her plot, until all of a sudden, wham here it is, a surprise, and sure enough it does flow. I felt these were very clever but generally not may favorite.Several stories were not as dependent on the element of surprise and were truly enjoyable portrayal of people, feelings, scenery and situations. Some of these especially those of a Lebanese Woman in London having fled the Civil war and another of a Lebanese woman from London visiting Egypt were very well done. Hanan Al Sheikh still managed to insert a surprising end, but you could enjoy both stories regardless of the ending.I am unsure if the author insistence on a clever plot for her short stories is part of the Arabic tradition of the plot, or just her own personal style. I personally would have liked it more if she just let her imagination roam, paint a situation without necessarily having to be obsessed with l Arabic Literature tradition of "habekah"A relatively long story of a Danish missionary worker to Yemen was my least favorite, even though I still enjoyed it. In general I felt the author was a much better and more genuine portraying Arab woman.Hanan Al Sheikh portrayal of life in Egypt, Lebanon, and Yemen and of immigrant life in UK and Africa came across vivid. She dealt with many difficult and up to the last 15 years or so taboo issues.The translation was superb, often when reading translated work, it is hard to appreciate intelligent and sensitive prose. Here that was not the case at all, in fact it is very difficult to conceive of some of the stories as translated work at all.Overall I highly recommend this collection of short stories. If you do like this book, you will definitely enjoy Sana Hassan, Leila Ahmed and Ahdaf Souief, who..., unlike Hanan Al Sheikh, write in English.

I Sweep The Sun Off Rooftops offers a superb collection of short shorties which open a door, and cast light upon life in the Middle East. Each tale is beguling in its subtlety, woven with a wonderful understanding of language and the complexities of life while sparing nothing in power or passion. Glynne MacLean, Wellington NZ.