"Feels revolutionary in its freshness."Â âEntertainment Weekly
âThe Arsonistsâ City delivers all the pleasures of a good old-fashioned saga, but in Alyanâs hands, one familyâs tale becomes the story of a nationâLebanon and Syria, yes, but also the United States. Itâs the kind of book we are lucky to have.ââRumaan Alam
A rich family story, a personal look at the legacy of war in the Middle East, and an indelible rendering of how we hold on to the people and places we call home
The Nasr family is spread across the globeâBeirut, Brooklyn, Austin, the California desert. A Syrian mother, a Lebanese father, and three American children: all have lived a life of migration. Still, theyâve always had their ancestral home in Beirutâa constant touchstoneâand the complicated, messy family love that binds them. But following his father's recent death, Idris, the family's new patriarch, has decided to sell.
The decision brings the family to Beirut, where everyone unites against Idris in a fight to save the house. They all have secretsâlost loves, bitter jealousies, abandoned passions, deep-set shameâthat distance has helped smother. But in a city smoldering with the legacy of war, an ongoing flow of refugees, religious tension, and political protest, those secrets ignite, imperiling the fragile ties that hold this family together.
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In a novel teeming with wisdom, warmth, and characters born of remarkable human insight, award-winning author Hala Alyan shows us again that âfiction is often the best filter for the real world around usâ (NPR).