The Man Who Lost His Shadow - Ghanem Fathy

In this remarkable novel, Fathy Ghanem follows the life of Yusif Abdul Hamid who, by fate or bad intentions, inflicts misery on everybody he touches.The Man Who Lost His Shadow tells the story of a struggling journalist through the eyes of the people whose lives he ruined.Muhammad Nagi: a newspaper editor who is preparing himself for a life-changing promotion – until Yusif steals it right from underneath him.Mabruka: a young peasant girl pressured to marry Yusif's father before being left abandoned to support her son alone.Samia: an aspiring actress who is drawn into a relationship with Yusif but ultimately forced to miss her final chance at stardom.As his victims' lives overlap in unexpected ways, Yusif remains unwittingly at the very centre. It is only as their revenge draws closer that we finally hear his own side of the story...'[Yusif is] an enigmatic blend of idealism and cunning hypocrisy.' New York Times