Winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction

For fans of Naguib Mahfouz's classic Cairo Trilogy and Hisham Matar's In the Country of Men, a tense and heartbreaking portrait of a young Libyan from a long line of bakers who tries to live up to his society's expectations of what it means to be a man.

"There is so much to admire in first-time novelist Alnaas’ subtle and complete depiction of a society built on contradictory impulses. . . . [Milad] is an engaging, tragic, and complex figure whose unique perspective captivates in this wonderfully thoughtful tale." —Booklist

“Must be one of Uncle Milad’s is a well-known insult among Libyans, typically said of a ‘Milad’, a man who struggles to rein in the women who should be obedient to him. Failing to do so he sullies not only his reputation, but that of ‘his’ women.”

Milad has always found comfort in the rituals of the kitchen—the steady rhythm of preparing meals, the warmth of fresh bread, the quiet satisfaction of caring for those he loves. But in a society where a man's worth is measured by entirely different standards, he fails to live up to his father's expectations of a man.

It's only after marrying his childhood sweetheart Zainab that he can embrace being himself, performing domestic household duties while she becomes the family breadwinner. But while the unconventional arrangement suits the couple, Milad earns his village's scorn and a series of tragic events are set into motion.

Winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, Mohammed Alnaas's explosive debut is an unflinching but deeply compassionate novel about love, belonging, and the cost of defying what’s expected of you.