10 Arabic Books to Read in 2025

Written by a Kuwaiti national, this book features a detective who reopens a case after finding new evidence that could potentially lead him to identify the right suspect. It’s a traditional crime story that is a must-read!

Jalal Bargas’ book is set between 1947 and 2019. It’s structured to represent stories from different people who have faced hardships in their own lives. Bargas takes readers on different journeys - allowing us to empathize with families and even the central character of the book, Ibrahim, who is on his own personal journey.

‘The Orchards of Basra’ is set in two time periods - present-day Minya, Egypt, and the 2nd Hijri century in Basra, Iraq. Hisham Khatab in Egypt interprets a dream in The Great Book of Interpretation and takes the story forward.

Barakat’s book largely focuses on stories of letter writers. Each letter is linked to the other, having their fates woven together, similar to their writers. The essence of Barakat’s book is relevant today - it details the experiences of lost immigrants and refugees.

Set against the background of the armed struggles between the Sudanese government and Eritrea-supported opposition, the book follows a prisoner of military camps whose eyes make her stand out from the women around her. Because of this, she suffers more than the others but manages to escape, taking readers on a journey of determination and surviving a war.

The book's main character, Hadi al-Attag, takes body parts of people who have been killed in explosions and sews them together to create a new body - similar to what Dr. Frankenstein had done. Known as ‘Criminal X’ to police authorities, the newly brought-to-life Frankenstein begins his campaign of revenge against those who have killed the parts that make up its body.

A young man from Oran, Algeria, decides to travel the desert to escape his traumatic past. On his travels, he meets a mysterious woman called ‘J’ who shares her own trauma with him. The book itself explores the trials and tribulations of Algerian youth as well as the civil war.

Nasrallah’s book focuses on a group that rises to power. It adopts elements of science fiction and fantasy, telling a story on corruption and a dystopian future where, unfortunately, we see greed prevail.

‘The Commandments’ follows generations of a family living in Upper Egypt. The grandfather of the family gives his grandson 10 commandments that he thinks will help him in life. There’s one commandment for each chapter that gives us an insight into the grandfather’s experiences in life and his wisdom.

‘Once Upon a Time in Aleppo’ is a collection of poems written by Fouad that detail his experiences in Aleppo, Syria. The translated version, co-translated with Norbert Hirschhorn, largely references hospitals as both authors are doctors.