Living in reality

You chose your path yourself, Mary Moon, so go in the care of the gods. Your ancestors went to war, or politics, or trade, but you seek the truth, each according to his own ambition. But beware of provoking a person of authority or mocking someone fallen into forgetfulness. Be like history, opening its ears to every speaker and not siding with anyone, then presenting the shining truth as a gift to the contemplators. Naguib Mahfouz takes us to ancient Egyptian history, which remained his beloved passion across the ages of Egyptian history. He tells us about Amenhotep IV, one of the Eighteenth Dynasty kings known as Akhenaten, and about his religious revolution in the pursuit of monotheism, worship of the single god Aten, his conflict with the priests of Amun, and about his mother Queen Tii, who supported her son to limit the priests' dominance and their authority. The novel begins with Mary Moon, the young seeker of the truth, passionate about reaching it, asking his father to facilitate his mission to find the truth about this kingship, around which opinions differed between supporters and opponents. Mary Moon begins to learn the story from different perspectives to live in the truth. Mahfouz, with his exceptional genius, his detailed narration, and precise description in this novel, was able to transport you to its time as if you see its characters embodied before your eyes.