Ahmed Nabil's 'December Streets'

Shaware' December ('December Streets') by Ahmed Nabil, Cairo: Beit Al-Yasmin, 2011. Ahmed Nabil's second novel, "December Streets," is sure to confirm the author's reputation for unique writing. From the first page, Nabil brings together two characters – one from history and the other from the realm of fiction – with a letter written to one Armstrong from a certain Veronika. The former turns out to be celebrated American Jazz singer Louis Armstrong, while the latter is the protagonist from Paolo Coelho's famous novel, "Veronika Decides to Die." "December Streets" follows the story of a happily married couple faced with a fatal, inexplicable incident that leads the wife see her entire life in an entirely new light. The novel is loaded with references to writing and books, fiction, and other literary subjects, all brought together by a narrative in which reality and existence are questioned at every corner; in which the characters reveal one part of themselves at a time, eventually dissolving – along with their stories – into books written by others. Nabil won the 2010 Sawiris Award for his screenplay "The Little Naughty Elephant" and the 2008 Mohamed Taymour Award for "Our Sun's Beauty." In 2007, he won the Mahrousa Award for his first novel, "One Thread of Lace."