Live from Cairo

Enjoyed this as I know Egypt well. It throws together four misfits really, none of them belonging to this crazy country. Set I. The aftermath of the revolution which has not really achieved anything it shows how difficult it is to get out. I thought the ending was slightly unsatisfactory but did show the dreadful plight of refugees. It was an unusual book, but I enjoyed the writing style and the characters did come to life

The major characters of this novel, Hana, Charlie, Dalia, Omran and Aos are an immensely likable group of humanly flawed people, trying to do their best in the maddening, dangerous, contradictory world of Egypt’s Revolution. Bassingwaighte’s vivid descriptions bring Cairo to life with its protestors, refugees, UNHCR, soldiers and ultimately just people.

I received an advanced copy of this story from NetGalley. It's a beautifully written story that really made me grateful for all that I have. Taking place in 2011 in Cairo Egypt at the ending of President Mubarak's term where Conditions were unpleasantly rough, and a dangerous and brutal military was in existence. Many upon many refugees were seeking out new lives in other countries with the help of the Refugee Relief Project and the United Nations High Commission For Refugees. In this story we are introduced to Dalia a refugee who's husband (Omran) had already gone to America, and Charlie, Aos and Hana, those who try to help Dalia get to America so she could start a new life with her husband. When Dalia's partition to resettle gets denied, these three people make a tremendous effort to help Dalia to get to America, doing things they wouldn't normally do, even risking their own lives and putting their careers in danger. In the end, all lives are changed and Dalia and her husband are now together in Cairo until they come up with another plan to start a new life! "God willing" they make it! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this very beautiful story in advance!!!

The story is set in Cairo in 2011 following the departure of Mubarak. So…
Four lives are completely changed by the end of the book. Plotting and planning have some disastrous results and don't necessarily reach the desired conclusion.
We're introduced to Charlie, an American lawyer working in Cairo and acting on behalf of refugees seeking to escape to a new life in a new country. We meet Aos his friend and colleague. Aos is an Egyptian translator and apart from his adopted dog Ruby, Aos is Charlie's only friend.
Into this mix comes Hana, newly arrived from the US to work at UNHCR - the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Her job is to accept or reject applications for resettlement. Hana is initially overwhelmed by the number of applicants and her role in determining their future.
And Dalia an Iraqi refugee and one of those seeking to leave Egypt to join her husband in Boston. When her petition is rejected she finds herself trapped in Cairo.
This is a book full of detail, of humans meeting inhuman systems, told by a gifted writer who takes us to this other time and other place. To say I couldn't put it down would be wrong. I found myself putting it down again and again while I thought of how people live following a revolution and the results of this on their lives.
I would strongly recommend this book and thank te publishers for making it available to me prior to its publication in July this year.

Live From Cairo is a gripping novel about Egypt after the revolution in 2011, told through the human consequences of one woman trying to escape Egypt on her path from Iraq to America to join her husband. The novel is about the way in which the characters - Dalia, her husband Omran, and those caught up in their story - hope and concoct a plan to try and get Dalia out of Cairo.

Despite the political realities of the book and the frequent depictions of the protesters and the army in Egypt, the novel is really focused not just upon Cairo but upon the whole situation in the Middle East and Africa and the way in which it affects individuals as people, with hope and love and friendship. Hana, the Iraqi-American UN worker tasked with dealing with Dalia’s case, has her own family trauma from previous conflict in Iraq, a reminder that the more recent conflicts are nothing new. The American lawyer fighting for Dalia, Charlie, and his Egyptian friend and colleague Aos complete the main cast of characters, all individuals from different places and backgrounds drawn together in Cairo.

The book’s style is light and straightforward; it gives a lot more weight to positive emotion and hope than despair or the harsh stories of both main and smaller characters. Live From Cairo is not a deep look at political unrest or a humanitarian crisis, but it a book about people and an enjoyable novel, all the whilst highlighting an issue that is just as prescient today as it was in 2011.

It’s 2011. Cairo is in the throes of revolution. Mubarak is no longer in power but the military have taken over and Mubarak seems likely to escape with his life.

Live from Cairo follows four main characters each struggling to find contentment whilst attempting to live in an increasingly unstable city.

Hana, an American from Iraq whose family fled Baghdad after the death of Hana’s father when Hana was still a bump in her mother’s belly, arrives in Cairo as a resettlement officer for the United Nations Refugee Agency. She comes hoping to help refugees find a safer life, and is soon weighed under caseloads of people and families that achieve visas only in the case of serious ill-health or the most dire of stories, voiced in interviews that match written testaments.

Charlie, another American, works for the Refugee Relief Project. A lawyer helping refugees prepare their applications for the UNHCR. He works tirelessly, hoping to help at least a few people find security in another country.

Aos, his translator, is his best friend and staunch protestor seeking revolution in Tahrir Square.

Finally, there is Dalia, an Iraqi stuck in Cairo without her husband. Her husband used to work for the Americans in Baghdad and for this he was tortured as a traitor. The Americans took him to Boston but because his marriage to Dalia was in a village and no papers were produced to mark the occasion, Dalia is not recognised as his wife and instead has to flee and hope her appeal to the UNHCR will allow her to follow him.

But Dalia is too ashamed of what she did to free her husband that her interview doesn’t back up the written statement applying for asylum. At least not according to Hana and her boss.

And so a complex dance between these four characters is set in motion. Each character bringing with them their own story marked by suffering and loss.

At the centre of the legal mess, are four people desperate to make connections with others and with their home. Dalia loves her husband. Charlie, inexplicably, loves Dalia and goes beyond legal measures to try and help her, embroiling Hana and Aos in his plot. He also loves Aos like the brother his own, a soldier fighting in Iraq, standing against everything Charlie thinks he stands for, is not. Hana is trying to make up for a past she had no control over, trying to make a connection to an Iraq she doesn’t even remember.

So whilst the pages fly in the quest to send Dalia into the arms of her husband, the complexity of human relationships with others, with God, and with a sense of home and a desire to express those feelings in a place of safety, force the reader into a minefield that not only expresses an understanding of privilege but also sees the parity of the human heart.

Live from Cairo is an impressive assault on the unfair nature of our world. The plot becomes painful and messy; the workings of bureaucracy are pertinently Kafkaesque.

Though I stumbled a little over some passages in the first chapter, each character breathed air I shared – no mean feat for such a diverse set of peoples.

This is a painful walk through the leftovers of war and it won’t appeal to everyone, but probably more of us should read it than might want to.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The book details the hardships faced by those who lived through the Egyptian revolution in 2011. The story helps to humanize the revolution. We are introduced to refugees who enter Egypt in the hopes of finding a better life. Lawyers and UN workers who dedicate their time and life to helping those refugees. Egyptian citizens who struggle with post Mubarak life, being part of the revolution, and how they can be a part of the solution.

I found it interesting that the main focus of the story was on a refugee rather than the protesters in Tahrir. It made me think of the revolution and refugees's in a whole other light. One of the most poignant quotes reads Hearts don't break, they simply continue. This perfectly sums up the plight of our characters. I constantly found myself thinking about how I would react if it were me in these situations. I think that is a testament in itself to the power of this novel.

Thank you to the publishers for making this available to me through NetGalley.

Cairo, 2011. President Mubarak is ousted from power. The political climate had made it impossible to avoid skirmishes between the army, protesters and the police. Refugees who have escaped war are stuck in street fights as libraries and police stations go up in flame, glass bottles of flammable liquid are thrown and the force of water cannons is unleashed on the populace. Thousands of refugees, trapped in Cairo during the aftermath of the January 25 revolution, file resettlement petitions. Only a fraction of the petitions are approved.

Charlie, an American attorney and Aos, his translator, work for the Refugee Relief Project in Cairo. Their goal: to send every refugee to a safer place. This will not happen. Higher priority is given to victims of abduction, torture, rape or extreme medical necessity. One such refugee is Dalia. Her completed application was recently denied by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Hana, a newly appointed Iraqi-American resettlement officer has sent a rejection letter to Charlie's office regarding Dalia's petition.

Dalia's case is compelling. Omran, her husband, worked for the American Army Engineering Brigade and was involved in rebuilding exploded pipes and water main breaks. The militia painted Omran as an enemy. He was tortured, beaten and lost an eye. The American Embassy, believing in non-negotiation, offered limited resources. Dalia did unspeakable things to win Omran's release. Omran has resettled in America, however, Dalia has not. Although married according to village tradition, no legal documentation of their marriage exists.

Charlie, Aos, Hana and Dalia embark upon a dangerous path of questionable legality to reunite Dalia and Omran in America. There will be resultant risks and repercussions for trying to work the system and settle Dalia abroad.

Charlie has taken a special interest in Dalia. His amorous feelings toward her have compelled him to place her resettlement petition at the top of his enormous case load. He is determined to convince or coerce Aos and Hana to jump on board and use extraordinary measures to change the narrative of Dalia's quest for safety.

"Live from Cairo: A Novel" by Ian Bassingthwaighte handily addresses the refugee crisis in war torn Iraq. Many refugees must repatriate to their home countries or integrate into the country they flee to. How can they make new lives if, as non-citizens, they cannot find employment? Most are trapped in a web of impossibility and inhumanity. There is no easy solution. Ian Bassingthwaighte has written a superb tome on the difficult path for refugees and asylum seekers.

Thank you Scribner and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Live from Cairo".