The end of a trilogy but not of the lives of Al-Jawad family. Like the real life, their lives continue beyond the ending of this mighty novel.

In this penultimate book of the series; the focus veers slightly from the main house of Al-Jawad family towards the extended branches living at the Palace of Desire Alley and Suagr Street. So, Kamal is still our main protagonist here but now more as a viewer or witness to all the buzzing around.

As the name suggests; this third book in the trilogy focuses more on Khadija’s family on Sugar Street. We meet her sons- Abd al-Muni’m & Ahmad and their differing world views. Whereas the elder one is following the teachings of a religious leader, the younger one finds solace in the communist principles.

Their choices of spouses reflect their political choices too and paves way towards their different martial lives. This perplexes their parents; especially Khadija as she can not predict as to what will happen in the lives of her beloved sons. After seeing so much of agony and pain her own sister’s eyes, Khadija is losing more than her sleep thinking about her children and their lives.

Then we have Ridwan and his political views; added to that his quite complex thoughts on women and marriage. He is now a well-qualified, good looking, handsome law graduate, who is making his forays into the dynamic world of politics. 

And we have have Ridwan’s father Yasin, going through his life unperturbed by whatever hardships or challenges life throws in his ways. The only cause for his concern is Karima, his only daughter facing a difficult married life and no bliss ahead.

Of course, we have Kamal; the stone wall which he has built around his heart has turned his heart hollow and left him doubting his own doubts about life’s simple pleasures. His dumbfounded reactions when he accidentally encounters Budur and his inaction of taking any actions is frustrating to his friends as well as to the readers. 

Does meeting Hussain soothes his soul by closing his heart to a mirage which Kamal was chasing for all his life? Will that help in making some radical decisions to overcome the steering pains of self-inflicted loneliness?

Amina’s sudden health crisis can be a trigger perhaps for Kamal to act towards a simple, commonplace life or an ending itself. This surely challenges his notion of home and Reminds him of his mother’s unwavering support for their life choices. 

The ending of the book is not ending of these stories per se, like life these stories continue beyond the pages of these books. So, it’s not surprising that not all of them find a conclusion by the end of it like Maryam or Sultana perhaps.

Like the spell of Djinns, this books weaves a tapestry of magic through the brilliant story telling for all of its readers. Naguib Mahfouz successfully brings forth the angsts of three generations aptly represented by members of Al-Jawad family through the tumultuous 20 odd years spanning two great wars. 

This is one of the ‘must read in a lifetime’ kind of book and it lives up to all the hype. Absolutely recommended read.