• The book won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2010.
• «... the most distinguished narrative writer in the Kingdom» – Al-Wasat newspaper.

The homes in 'Hai al-Hufrah', or 'Neighborhood of Fire' as its residents sometimes call it, appear as if they are constantly bowed from inside the palace, or 'Paradise'. It's as if they have been forced into a perpetual state of kneeling, forbidden from lifting their heads. It's not just the houses, but the inhabitants whose only wish is to enter this paradise, unaware that they are diving into a harsher servitude than their poverty, into traps they can't escape until every bit of life is drained from their bodies and dignity, only to be discarded like waste. Tareq Fadel was one of those driven into the palace by fate, recommended by his friend Issa Al-Radaini, alongside their friend Osama, becoming three of the most remembered individuals from the neighborhood who rose to riches only to plummet dramatically... Their downfall was loud and clear. It's essentially a story of descent... downwards of course, for as the narrator says, 'falling upwards is impossible'. Abdo Khal is a Saudi writer and novelist. His novels published by Dar Al-Saqi include 'Mud', 'Corruption', 'Cities Devour Grass', 'Sorrows of the Seductress', and 'Death Passes Here'.

• Publishing house: Dar Al-Saqi for Publishing and Distribution
• Number of Pages: 368
• Year of Publication: 2015