• Author: Galaa Samir
• Publisher: Dar Fadaat
• Year of Publication: 2023
• Edition: First
• Number of Pages: 310

What happens to a person when they are in a constant search for meaning and value, only to collide with truths that deter them from their quest and bring them back to their senses? How can an empty life be lived with such complexity? And where does one go with themselves when their mind becomes exhausting? This work is a dedication to all who try to escape from what they have understood.

The novel narrates the existential angst that afflicts a person, carrying its weight on their back to no avail. Its events revolve around Mustafa, a taxi driver, in his final attempt to find meaning or bestow it upon his surroundings, striving each time to present himself in society in the way he deems appropriate, seeking the compassion and understanding of others.

The narrative centers on this peculiar character, uncomfortable in his own skin and apartment, while the other characters orbit around him, attempting to fathom his secrets and provoke him to speak. This is set in a framework of continuous dialogues between him and 'the other'—whether real, as it seems, or ghostly, like the monstrous figure that lives inside the character and dictates his choices. Amidst the ongoing dialogues and the attempts at revelation that the novel presents and ultimately concludes, the plot occupies the narrowest part of the narrative. The work is dominated by philosophical and psychological dialogues and the theories that the main character constantly devises, trying to reach a logical understanding that satisfies him, before being overcome by profound regret.

This is a novel that does not aim to weary souls, but rather to alert them to the depths of ugliness in which we are immersed. It is an attempt to open windows, allowing light to penetrate the closed eyes of societies, to knock on people's heads to stir doubts and questions, and to reclaim the great advantage that distinguishes us from animals: the question of 'why'!