"A brilliantly original debut graphic novel that imagines a fantastical Cairo where wishes really do come true. Deena Mohamed brings to life a cast of characters whose struggles and triumphs are heartbreaking, inspiring, and deeply resonant. Shubeik Lubeik -- a fairy-tale rhyme that means "your wish is my command" in Arabic -- is the story of three people who are navigating a world where wishes are literally for sale. Mired as they are in bureaucracy and the familiar prejudices of our world, the wishes that are more expensive are more likely to work as intended. Three wishes sold at an unassuming kiosk in Cairo link Aziza, Nour, and Shokry, changing their perspectives as well as their lives. Aziza learned early that life can be hard, but when she loses her husband and manages to procure a wish, she finds herself fighting unreasonable regulations and inequality for the right to have -- and make -- that wish. Nour is a privileged college student who secretly struggles with depression and must decide whether to use their wish to try to "fix" this depression. And, finally, Shokry must grapple with his religious convictions as he decides how to help a friend who doesn't want to use her wish. Although their stories are fantastical, each of these people wrestles with the very real challenge of trying to make their most deeply held desires come true." -- Back cover.
"A brilliantly original debut graphic novel that imagines a fantastical alternate Cairo where wishes really do come true. Shubeik Lubeik--a fairy tale rhyme that means 'your wish is my command' in Arabic--is the story of three people who are navigating a world where wishes are literally for sale. Three wishes that are sold at an unassuming kiosk in Cairo link Aziza, Nour, and Shokry, changing their perspectives as well as their lives. Aziza learned early that life can be hard, but when she loses her husband and manages to procure a wish, she finds herself fighting bureaucracy and inequality for the right to have--and make--that wish. Nour is a privileged college student who secretly struggles with depression and must decide whether or not to use their wish to try to "fix" this depression, and then figure out how to do it. And, finally, Shokry must grapple with his religious convictions as he decides how to help a friend who doesn't want to use their wish. Deena Mohamed brings to life a cast of characters whose struggles and triumphs are heartbreaking, inspiring, and deeply resonant. Although their stories are fantastical--featuring talking donkeys, dragons, and cars that can magically avoid traffic--each of these people grapples with the very real challenge of trying to make their most deeply held desires come true." -- description from publisher's website. (
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/606934/shubeik-lubeik-by-deena-mohamed/)
