Sinalcol

Published by Dar Al-Adab, The Broken Mirrors: Sinalcol (Sinalcol) by acclaimed novelist Elias Khoury is a panoramic, introspective masterpiece exploring the psychological debris of the Lebanese Civil War. The narrative centers on Karim Shammas, a French-educated physician who returns to post-war Beirut leaving behind his family in Montpellier. As Karim navigates the fractured landscape of his youth—marked by political ideological divides between himself and his twin brother Nasim—he searches for the truth behind "Sinalcol," a enigmatic, phantom war hero and criminal whose legend haunts the city. Through non-linear storytelling, unreliable memories, and sensual reflections on love and betrayal, Khoury constructs a stunning meditation on identity, lost ideals, and the enduring scars left upon those who survived the conflict.

It is a profound and brilliantly structured literary achievement that delves deep into the psychology of civil war, displacement, and the elusive nature of memory and truth.

Ideal for readers of modern Arabic fiction, lovers of complex multi-perspective sagas, and scholars interested in post-conflict literature and Middle Eastern history.