This thrilling debut is the definitive novel of the Arab Spring by an author who witnessed the revolution first hand.

Winner of the the Betty Trask Prize 2018
Winner of the Best Debut Under 35 from the Society of Authors
Winner of the Prix de le Litterature, Institut Du Monde Arabe
A Boston Globe and White Review Book of the Year

Egypt, 2011: this is a revolution. On the streets of Cairo, a violent uprising is transforming the course of history. Mariam and Khalil, two young activists, are swept up in the fervour. Their lives will never be the same again.

The City Always Wins captures the feverish intensity of the 2011 Egyptian revolution ­­- from the euphoria of mass protests, to the silence of the morgue - piercing the bloody heart of the uprising.