The Queue takes the narrative of an allegory of life in an authoritarian regime to absurdist lengths, you follow an assortment of characters that act as archetypes of the people who exist in this kind of landscape. The third-person perspective makes most of this book feel impersonal, but with the way these characters were designed, I think that was purposeful. 

Following how each of these characters reacts to The Gate's new decrees as they slowly become more and more absurd and blatantly untrue, with some deciding to believe the lies if it can benefit them, others succumbing to obedience out of fear, a few still fighting against it - each in their own ways. It's portrayal of how authoritarian forces will turn people against each other is the most accurate representation of the Arab Spring in my memory. As an Egyptian, it's interesting reading and reflecting on events like the Arab Spring that I lived through as a child, written about by someone who has a far greater understanding of Egypt's complicated political history. 

I appreciate Abdel Aziz representing how misogyny and religion are used in these situations and how different people react to them. It paints a picture of Egypt that as depressing as it might sound, is honest about how our government systems have constantly failed our people. 

So much of this story is left unresolved, which at first left me a bit shocked and disappointed but with more time I think only shows how little resolution there is in situations like these. This was a powerful and interesting read, I'd highly recommend it to any who wants to learn more about modern Egypt.