I rated this book 2 stars for the following reasons. The characters all had depressive issues, starting from Ahlam and moving along to Yaseen, Gabr and Mariam. The characters in the story portrayed various social levels and the writer was clever enough to dwell deep into their inner emotions, yet some characters were hard to grasp like Gabr. I don't think his kind still exist and in my opinion it was too far fetched. Ahlam’s character was extremely depressing, all she did was cry and hide behind her tears. Her only strong asset was keeping the baby but other then that she was passive and weak. Olfat gave me the impression of an iron woman whose feelings are solid and intact especially when her husband decided to call their daughter by the name of his dead lover. A normal character would have refused and fought back but Olfat just learned to accept and live with it, which in my opinion is bogus and unrealistic. Gabr's mother's reaction to the identity of the baby's father was also shocking and unconvincing.
The story also tackled different aspects of the individual emotions; the old lady who married a younger guy and the struggle she had to go through to be young and fit for the fear that she would be mistaken for his mother. The young doctor who gave up his youth to marry an older woman and indulge in the rich world. The son who blamed his mother for not accepting the bribe thus holding a grudge for 4 years then decides to live with the father that he never met.
Nour wanted to include as much characters as possible, each with their own agony and pain and compile them in her story.