The outcast

Number of pages: 184 pages Publisher: Arab House for Science Publishers The novel that presents "The Outcast," by Saudi novelist Abdullah Zayed, places us in front of a very original creative narrative structure, and it deals with the journey of a man traveling to visit his sick father. During the trip that lasts seventy-two hours, the storyteller presents before our eyes scenes from his childhood and his village, from the customs and traditions imposed on citizens and the necessity of adhering to them and to religion, and it includes love, kindness, the bad nature of humans, and the importance of family. In this context, learning from the novel, from the freedom present within it, from different viewpoints and opinions, and from freedom of expression. However, in this journey, not all these matters are presented; the only thing that surprises in this story is the man's inner self and his secrets. This man, simply by trying to be free, finds himself outcast by those who do not have the courage to be free like him, especially those who do not think of change and do not aspire to it at all. With simple and moving poetic language, inherited undoubtedly from the heritage of Arabic language literature that echoes poetry, we end up sharing the tears of a man, not because of the failure of his journey, nor because he discovered that the world of his people and family is far from his soul and thinking. He remains loyal to the path he chose, despite always being outcast. The story of this man is the story of every human who looks at the world with honesty, nobility, and dignity. His main concern is struggle, starting from himself, from those closest to him, in search of a better world than the one his father and family provided him. (It is a novel that possesses the beauty of surprising content, as well as captivating poetic language, which made us sense the greatness of the novel in its original language, Arabic, which we long to know, to express emotions, describe natural scenes, and moments of conflict. All of this led it to reach its most captivating, enchanting plot.) — Spanish writer and novelist Rosa Rigas