The Arsonists' City: A Novel [Paperback]

Feels revolutionary in its freshness. Entertainment Weekly

The Arsonists Citydelivers all the pleasures of a good old-fashioned saga, but in Alyans hands, one familys tale becomes the story of a nationLebanon and Syria, yes, but also the United States. Its the kind of book we are lucky to have.Rumaan Alam

A rich, sprawling family saga, a personal look at the legacy of war in the Middle East, and an indelible rendering of how we hold on to the people and places we call home

The Nasr family is spread across the globeBeirut, Brooklyn, Austin, the California desert. A Syrian mother, a Lebanese father, and three American children: all have lived a life of migration. Still, theyve always had their ancestral home in Beiruta constant touchstoneand the complicated, messy family love that binds them. But following his father's recent death, Idris, the family's new patriarch, has decided to sell.

The decision brings the family to Beirut, where everyone unites against Idris in a fight to save the house. They all have secretslost loves, bitter jealousies, abandoned passions, deep-set shamethat distance has helped smother. But in a city smoldering with the legacy of war, an ongoing flow of refugees, religious tension, and political protest, those family secrets ignite, imperiling the fragile ties that hold this Lebanese-American family together.

In a work of literary fiction teeming with wisdom, warmth, and characters born of remarkable human insight, award-winning author Hala Alyan shows us again that fiction is often the best filter for the real world around us (NPR).US

This multi-generational story is deeply thought-provoking.   -HelloGiggles

The sheer scope of Hala Alyan’s novel, The Arsonists’ City, is astounding. With seemingly effortless confidence, Alyan hops back and forth between decades and continents, investigating the social, political, anlC´