Wow, I scrolled through endless reviews of this novel, but they're all in Arabic. So I have no idea why my opinion of it differs so much from the average. I'll make a bit of an effort here, for the rest of you Anglophones.
The author notes that a central character, the new District Commissioner of the oasis, was a real person, and the culmination of the novel (no spoilers..) describes a real historical event. However, nothing else has been recorded. The novel provides an imagined chain of events that led to that incident and the characters involved. This might have been a mistake. Some elements in the plot feel unnecessary and extreme (especially the lesbian overture, or maybe it was just a misunderstanding, and its tragic outcome). Upon finishing the book, you realize they were deliberately so, because that lends greater momentum towards the events of the conclusion. Hm. But really, was that the only way to get to that outcome?
Another mistake, I think, was first person narration. The story is told from the alternating perspectives of the main characters, with a few extras thrown in. But it was done in a weird way. The characters were basically forced to talk to themselves in order to communicate a lot of important details to the reader. Now, I talk to myself all the time. It's an important way to reflect and make sense of things. But there's a reason my audience is limited to me. And none of these characters seem particularly reflective.
They also aren't particularly interesting or likable. Mahmoud is, to use a cliche, haunted by his past. Because of various missteps and disciplinary actions (which I didn't really understand, partly, I think, because of the real confusion of events in wartime, and partly because of my general ignorance of the history here), his past has consigned him to the current posting where he is almost guaranteed to fail. He is also unhappy in his marriage, and haunted by memories of his first love - a slave girl who was his playmate growing up and who promptly vanished as soon as she could (enslavement: not the best relationship strategy). His wife Catherine is obsessed with antiquities to the point of being dismissive and disrespectful of the contemporary culture. Neither of their inner monologues - as they rant and justify themselves - are particularly attractive. A few supporting characters are given a chapter or two; these are basically platforms for them to explain their machinations, but they are pretty heavy handed and not very realistic. And a chapter narrated by the spirit of Alexander the Great is completely unnecessary, except, I suppose, as an allegory of colonialism, which is a bit of a theme throughout.
There are some interesting possibilities. For example: the willful oasis girl who is inspired by Catherine's self-determination. But she is, quite literally, a victim of her fate and the novel's inexorable path to its conclusion. She isn't really a character at all, her personality is only hearsay. What if she was given a larger role? What if she was more successful at befriending Catherine, rather than enacting the ridiculous lesbian attack that is instead written for her? Would that have removed the isolation that fueled Catherine's obsession with Alexander the Great and blinded her to anything but her 'studies' and theories?
But that would be a different story, which maybe wouldn't reach the necessary conclusion. So what does lead to an act of vandalism and, perhaps, insanity? I don't know. But I don't think this novel does either. It tries to explain too much, and, in doing so, leaves out the insanity. It would be improved by making more skillful use of the pernicious effects of the atmosphere of isolation, futility, harassment, and misery, rather than introducing implausible catalysts.