{"product_id":"9781612195179","title":"The Queue","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eThe Queue ... \u003c\/i\u003ehas drawn comparisons to Western classics like George Orwell’s \u003ci\u003e1984\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Trial\u003c\/i\u003e by Franz Kafka. It represents a new wave of dystopian and surrealist fiction from Middle Eastern writers who are grappling with the chaotic aftermath and stinging disappointments of the Arab Spring.\" -- \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eWinner of the English PEN Translation Award\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a surreal, but familiar, vision of modern day Egypt, a  centralized authority known as ‘the Gate’ has risen to power in the  aftermath of the ‘Disgraceful Events,’ a failed popular uprising.  Citizens are required to obtain permission from the Gate in order to  take care of even the most basic of their daily affairs, yet the Gate  never opens, and the queue in front of it grows longer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Citizens from all walks of life mix and wait in the sun: a  revolutionary journalist, a sheikh, a poor woman concerned for her  daughter’s health, and even the brother of a security officer killed in  clashes with protestors. Among them is Yehia, a man who was shot during  the Events and is waiting for permission from the Gate to remove a  bullet that remains lodged in his pelvis. Yehia’s health steadily  declines, yet at every turn, officials refuse to assist him, actively  denying the very existence of the bullet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Ultimately it is Tarek, the principled doctor tending to Yehia’s  case, who must decide whether to follow protocol as he has always done,  or to disobey the law and risk his career to operate on Yehia and save  his life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Written with dark, subtle humor, \u003ci\u003eThe Queue\u003c\/i\u003e describes the  sinister nature of authoritarianism, and illuminates the way that  absolute authority manipulates information, mobilizes others in service  to it, and fails to uphold the rights of even those faithful to it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrom the Trade Paperback edition.\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Melville House Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47139071328496,"sku":"9781612195179","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781612195179_p0.jpg?v=1763841883","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781612195179","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}