The Arsonists' City

By: Hala Alyan

Narrated by: Leila Buck

“The Arsonists’ City delivers all the pleasures of a good old-fashioned saga, but in Alyan’s hands, one family’s tale becomes the story of a nation - Lebanon and Syria, yes, but also the United States. It’s the kind of book we are lucky to have.” (Rumaan Alam)

A rich family story, a personal look at the legacy of war in the Middle East, and an indelible rendering of how we hold on to the people and places we call home

The Nasr family is spread across the globe - Beirut, Brooklyn, Austin, the California desert. A Syrian mother, a Lebanese father, and three American children: all have lived a life of migration. Still, they’ve always had their ancestral home in Beirut - a constant touchstone - and the complicated, messy family love that binds them. But following his father's recent death, Idris, the family's new patriarch, has decided to sell.

The decision brings the family to Beirut, where everyone unites against Idris in a fight to save the house. They all have secrets - lost loves, bitter jealousies, abandoned passions, deep-set shame - that distance has helped smother. But in a city smoldering with the legacy of war, an ongoing flow of refugees, religious tension, and political protest, those secrets ignite, imperiling the fragile ties that hold this family together.

In a novel teeming with wisdom, warmth, and characters born of remarkable human insight, award-winning author Hala Alyan shows us again that “fiction is often the best filter for the real world around us” (NPR).

©2021 Hala Alyan (P)2021 Recorded Books

Sweeping and stunning

This was a gorgeous novel and a sweeping family saga. The writing is addictive. The characters are each and everyone so special.

amazing

The performance is actually a 10/5 its insane how talented the voice actor is. This was my favorite book of 2021 out of the 50/60 books I read.

All the feels

I loved this book. Having lived in Beirut, it felt true to me, like I'd met each of the characters before. It's a beautiful story of love, trauma, grief, family, and identity.

Characters, family and emotional complexity

A family saga sweeping Lebanon, Syria and the US. Great character development, very realistic and sad and heartwarming at the same time. Sad to think these countries are enduring such devastation and pain.

Family dynamics and internal struggle

Story of family dynamics, and struggles. It took me a while to get into the book and learn all the characters, but totally worth it. Also explores themes of “what is home?” - “what does it mean to return home?” - “What does it mean to be in exile? An immigrant?”