ustafa Marwan’s Guns and Almond Milk - A Page Turner Awards finalist managed to keep me hooked even amidst a chaotic work routine. The novel explores the polarity between scenes from war-torn Yemen and high-end theft in London. It has been widely praised by renowned literati across the globe:

Ahmed Naji, author of Rotten Evidence, says, “Guns and Almond Milk is a thrilling odyssey that explores themes of identity, redemption and the price of one’s choices. Marwan’s masterful storytelling, rich with cultural and psychological insights, is set against the vibrant backdrops of London and tumultuous regions of the Middle East, where we fellow Luke, a man caught in the crosshairs of his own conflicted existence.”

Marwan is an Egyptian writer, aid worker and trainer. He has over a decade of humanitarian work experience in more than a dozen conflict zones worldwide – including most Arab Spring countries at the heights of their uprisings.

He says, “I have a strong penchant for neo-noir, dark humour and books that strike the magical balance between the literary and the commercial.” His command over pharmacy, public health, nanotechnology and management is reflected in his work.

Guns and Almond Milk sheds light upon silence and complicity towards rising hostility and violence in society. The novel captures the essence of modern-day capitalistic society.

Marwan has made an attempt to paint the perfect picture of the dehumanisation and desensitised society of the current era. He writes, “We humans are masters at complicating things.” Through a mixed-race protagonist, the writer builds on the paradoxical idiosyncrasies of human race.

Meet Luke Archer, a British Egyptian doctor who struggles to be from two worlds at the same time. He’s working in one of the world’s most dangerous hospitals in Yemen. When rebel forces take over the city, a group of Western mercenaries take refuge at the hospital and Luke and his team find themselves in the middle of a deadly clash.

To make matters worse, the mercenaries are led by an unwelcome figure from Luke’s past. After years of saving lives, Luke needs to face the demons of his past in order to save his own.

Set in the UK and Yemen, Guns and Almond Milk is a literary thriller that deals with identity, diversity and old coins of contested value. It’s The Sympathiser mixed with M.A.S.H by way of Ramy.

Set in the UK and Yemen, Guns and Almond Milk is a literary thriller that deals with identity, diversity and old coins of arguable value. It’s The Sympathiser mixed with M.A.S.H by the way of Ramy.

As one progresses through the pages, Marwan’s insights make one realise how problematic humanity has become nowadays. It seems as if the writer is bent on criticising the rise of the degradation of humanity and the dishonour it has brought upon humans, once the most intelligent species.

“Normal people see a mess of blood and pain, contorted lips and agonizing screams… But you don’t see or hear any of that. Whether in London or Aden, you see only the most straightforward of checklists: ABC – airways, breathing and circulation.”

In a way, the plot resonates with the ongoing genocide in Palestine and the world turning a blind eye to the persistent atrocities. The beginning sets pace for a dystopian world –unfortunately not too far in the future – that is a product of our times.

Marwan employs powerful imagery to encapsulate the apocalyptic landscape of Yemen. He provides a particularly nuanced and sensitive portrayal of various characters who have been suffering on account of terrorism and suicide attacks. He focuses on dramatic moments after the explosions.

These events capture the dangers and confusion of conflict and extremism. It could be seen as a powerful anti-war narrative as the dangers of violence are vividly recreated.

The novel defies easy categorisation and is almost a palimpsest, merging and overlapping the boundaries of inter- and intra-national. In the triage, Luke comes across a diverse range of doctors with varied nationalities. All these people are connected even though they can be segregated based on their differences.

They are all working together, willingly, passionately or mundanely, to serve humanity. The novel lays the foundation of a stark binary between good and evil and the in-betweens. It tends to stir the readers’ intellect so as to re-familiarise them with the ethical debate regarding modern-day dilemmas.

Marwan’s Guns and Almond Milk has the quality of being an easy read for almost anyone. I write ‘almost’ as one does require profound wittiness to comprehend the dark comedy at play here.

It offers a bridge between absurdity and making an effort to transcend the meaninglessness of the 21^st Century. In a world overwhelmed by greed, lust and the endless desire to acquire more – the reality checks meticulously provided by Marwan are essential.

Mustafa Marwan’s debut novel is a must-read for those who wish to contextualise the rise and fall of humanity in the backdrop of Yemen and London.

Guns and Almond Milk

Author: Mustafa Marwan

Publisher: Interlink Books, 2024

Pages: 248

Price: GBP15.63

The reviewer is a lecturer at the Department of English Language and Literature, Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore