In the Eye of the Sun

As a typical mid-American with no background into modern Egyptian history, I found this book a great insight into a far different world than what I was living during the 1970's. Almost as much as reading the book, I have enjoyed reading the reviews of this book especially from those who can relate so well. While the details were just overwhelming in places for me, they were the essence of the novel for others. There truly is a different way of viewing the world from the East and from the West. This book has helped me understand a bit more. And although it was an insight into the modern Eastern woman's world, it was also so universal in theme. I could see so much of my husband of 30+ years in Saif. Maybe men are men whether they are from the mid-west or from the Middle East. I would love to read more of Soueif's works (I did read Map of Love -- and thought it was wonderful) especially in light of what is happening in the Mid East today; the change in culture from the time Asya left Egypt to the time she returned was interesting to me. I want to know how a character like Asya is doing now in Egypt. Thanks the the author for writing a insightful, interesting, and complex work, and thanks for those who from Asya's world who have written reviews. I appreciated reading your comments in order to verify what I thought I was getting from the book.

It was a great pleasure reading Ahdaf Soueif's In the Eye of the Sun. The dialogs between husband and wife are painfully real, and Asya's journey to self-realization makes me wonder if there is any reconciliation between Western and Islamic values, that are combined and deeply rooted in upper-middle and upper Egyptian classes, giving, and I will speak only for myself, endless conflicts. Ahdaf Soueif shows an exemplary awareness of the important political events that shaped the history of the region at the time, and accurately captures her generation's reaction to that. Asya's college years match our parents' accounts of a beautiful secular Cairo, and hints to the future change are not to be missed. A true masterpiece.

This is a very sad story, but it has been shaped into a very satisfying book. The writing is often remarkably beautiful. There are passages which could be pulled out and stand up on their own as vignettes, but the novel is also well structured, with subtle echoes of details occuring from one place to another. But this work does not merely impress with its technical skill. The characters live. The truth is, I liked this novel mostly because I liked Asya. I often did not understand why she did what she did, particularly why she endured what she endured, but I liked her mind, her observations, her sense of humor. In addition to all of this, the book seems to be a good orientation to recent Arab history, from an Arab perspective, something which adds to my interest in the work. It's been a few years since I read it and it's about time to read it again.

From a Jewish woman poin of view, totally devoted to the existence of the State of Israel, I could read the other side's opinions and attitudes without feeling offended or irrate. Just saddened. Ms. Soueif is too smart a writer to give it fanatic overtones. As far as the story is concerned, I couldn't put the book down. The dialogue and the characters are so real that I deeply cared for what happened to them. My God, this Saif, never wanting to have a conversation, became quite talkative when the pain was in his soul. And Asya, so emancipated and yet so impotent to take a strong stand against the lowest of men; compliant and scared not to hurt his feelings; totally paralyzed by her Middleeastern upbringing. Some things a woman just doesn't do... Oh, this book... I took pleasure in the smallest detail - doing the dishes, putting handcream on, metaphors and semantics, important and unimportant, they breathe life into this novel. It's one of the best I read in a long time. My only question is: do Saifs exist? I know there are plenty of Geralds, but except for Saif's aloofness that is real, his generosity and at the same time his disinterest in his wife - are they real? I wish I could personally congratulate the writer.