Children of the Alley: A Novel by Naguib Mahfouz translated by Peter Theroux
Also known as Children of Gebelawi. The novel uses a Cairo slum to provide an allegory of the history of humanity, with stand ins for various religious figures (Adam, Moses, Jesus, Mohamad) and science. I missed the whole allegory part and just saw it as a good story. People are tied to the alley, but struggle to grow out of it. They often see being a gangster as a good outcome. Some people do rise out of it, but it is tough for them to return. There is also a distant overseer that manages the inheritance. The people struggle to grow, but have a tendency to return to the base behavior they are used to.
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