Footprints in the Desert

June 1, 2015
In a Cairo souk riddled with tunnels and serpentine alleyways, people are fomenting an Arab revolt. Akhtar's debut historical suspense novel, smoothly translated for English-languagereaders, is set in the Middle East during and after WWI. It's the tale of Salah Masri, a fictional spy, who, with T. E. Lawrence and King Faisal I (and a few others), confound the Alliance and the Ottoman Turks. Parallel to the men's undercover subversion runs a women's story of love, sacrifice, rumor, and thousands of cups of lime water and tea in Rania's Cafe. Like the culture of the time, the men and women live very different and separate lives. Akhtar's matter-of-fact writing style, excessive reliance on coincidence, and use of the passive voice tend to deaden suspense and slow the pace. Descriptions of the Cairo marketplace and shops, travel by camel, war strategy and spying, however, enliven what might otherwise be a predictable love story. For further historical perspectives on Middle Eastern history, try Mary Doria Russell's novel, Dreamers of the Day (2008), and Scott Anderson's nonfiction overview of the Arab Revolt, Lawrence in Arabia (2013).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)