In Their Father's Country

Claire and Gabrielle Sahli are sisters growing up in 1920s Cairo. Of mixed descent, they occupy a precarious position in Egypt's increasingly nationalist wealthy classes. While others like them leave, the Sahli's cling on to their homes and livelihoods as Cairo is rocked by violent anti-British demonstrations and government crackdowns. Tracing the lives of Claire and Gabrielle from childhood to old age, Anne-Marie Drosso portrays the bittersweet relationship of two intelligent, complex women forced to adapt to the unexpected. A deft and delicate story of two sisters growing up in Cairo.



Anne-Marie Drosso was born in Cairo in 1951. She left Egypt in her twenties for Canada, where she studied and taught. Her collection, Cairo Stories, was published by Telegram in 2007. She now lives in Monteray, California. This is her first novel.