The Cairo House

A beguiling, entrancing novel that tells the story of a prominent Egyptian family’s struggle to survive the turmoil of post-World War II Cairo.

Gigi grew up in a wonderful house in Cairo, a house that was home to a large, extended family. The men of the house were involved in politics and business, cotton and trading, and the women visited and gossiped, shopped and arranged marriages and other family matters. The house was always open to visitors, political associates, family: the traditional Egyptian hospitality mixed easily with a cosmopolitan style. It was an opulent world that seemed unchangeable.

But the pashas’ time was ending. Many were forced into exile, and for those who remained there was an uneasy mix of new expectations and old traditions. Gigi, a modern woman from a patrician background, faced the conflicts between a traditional marriage and the loss of a family, between exile and the need to create a new life while striving to stay in touch with her roots.

Samia Serageldin’s first novel is a brilliant, haunting and fascinating story of a woman, a family and a culture in transition.

Reviews

'Using a beautiful prose style, Serageldin makes Gigi's problems vivid and real. This semi-autobiographical novel…is fascinating and highly entertaining.' Library Journal (US)

'This novel is about the personal changes – births, growing up, growing old, deaths – that make exiles of us all. Serageldin does a wonderful job of evoking Gigi's Cairo milieu.' Booklist (US)

‘[Serageldin’s] own experiences lend The Cairo House an intimate, authentic tone, and provide an interesting prism through which to observe the shifting status of a complex nation.’ Scottish Sunday Herald

'The postwar history of Egypt is skilfully woven into this evocative first novel's portrayal of a wealthy Cairo family's susceptibility to the winds of political change… a telling exploration of the ambiguities of status, loyalty, and belonging'
Kirkus Reviews (US)

About the author

Samia Serageldin was born in Egypt, educated in Europe, and emigrated to the United States in 1980. She is the author of an autobiographical novel, The Cairo House, tracing political developments in Egypt over the past three decades. She is the author of papers on topics including Arab American writing and gender and Islam in Egypt. Since September 11 she has been active as a speaker in various public forums on Islam and on international events.