Rajia Hassib’s ‘A Pure Heart’ explores identity in post-2011 Egypt

Rajia Hassib’s ‘A Pure Heart’ explores complex ideas about identity in post-2011 Egypt: Egyptian novelist Rajia Hassib’s most recent work, A Pure Heart, unpacks the challenges of reconciling the multiple, often contradictory, facets of an individual’s personality through the stories of two sisters in the context of post-2011 Egypt. The novel has been met with wide critical acclaim, with the New York Times saying it “beautifully articulates the full-bodied chorus of Egypt’s voices,” while the Observer praises the compelling way it shows a multiplicity of viewpoints, highlighting the divisions among family and community members that are innately human.