Though corruption exists in every human society, some have proven more susceptible to its destructive charms than others. After all, only three things are required to institutionalize corruption into the very fabric of society: a weak rule of law, rampant rent-seeking, and vast inequities in economic and political opportunity. But while we have a firm grasp of how corruption flourishes, most of us don't have a solid understanding of how to uproot it. When a small group of people have tasted ultimate power, it is difficult to take that power from them without killing them in which case, more often than not, the killer becomes a usurper, not a reformer. But while debates on how best to eliminate corruption will no doubt carry on for decades, we know one truth to be self-evident, that systemic corruption has profound consequences for the poor, for the disenfranchised, and for the powerless. This is the enlightening and disturbing subject of The Yacoubian Building.
Nestled in the heart of crowded, polluted and frenetic Cairo, the Yacoubian is an apartment building home to all sorts of colorful characters who work, strive and scheme in hopes of bettering their lot in life. Some, like the powerful Hagg Azzam, a successful car magnate and drug kingpin, seek to further their ambitions by buying their way to the pinnacle of state power. Others, like Taha el Shazli, the son of the Yacoubian's doorman, hope to improve their lot by devoting themselves to respectable, civil service. But while their goals may differ, shaped by the limitations of their class, they all dream of becoming more than they are, of overcoming a system that is naturally opposed to granting them their wishes. Unfortunately, the inertia of the state, in all its pomp and privilege, prevents all of them, from the homosexual newspaperman, to the entrapped widow, from the westernized engineer to the entrepreneurial schemer, from advancing in society through legitimate means. For some, this glass ceiling is a crushing impediment from which they'll never recover. For others, it is a barrier to be broken, or circumvented, an obstacle to ambitions that must be overcome. For without the hope of a better tomorrow, they will suffocate in their own disillusionment. This is the story of the Yacoubian Building, its secrets, its depravities and the dreams contained within its walls.
Though the plodding pace of The Yacoubian Building threatens to keep its plot from catching fire, the various plights suffered by its cornucopia of characters provide the tale enough propulsion to reach critical mass. These ordeals are both the story's blessing and its curse. For given that this is a novel that concerns itself almost entirely with the notion of disillusionment, and all its associated emotional and physical torments, everything prior to the payoff is simply a means of advancing the characters to the point at which their hopes are trampled on by an uncaring state. Furthermore, being that it is told from the prospective of at least six main characters, some of which work better than others, the successes and the failures of the novel's intentionally fragmented narrative hinge upon the likeability of its protagonists. But while some, like Taha, do succeed in provoking powerful reactions, both positive and negative, others, like Dessouki, the westernized engineer, fail to be any more than filler.
To the extent that The Yacoubian Building exposes readers to the consequences, to everyday Egyptians, of state corruption, it is a momentous success. It marvellously details the myriad ways in which, in an unfair environment, the cruel can capitalize on the credulity of the good and the secrets of the different. However, the author has ambitiously staked the enjoyment of his novel on the effectiveness of a multitude of characters, spread out over a fragmented landscape. And while some of these personalities do the novel justice, others are little more than distractions. An interesting but uneven read. (3/5 Stars)
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