“I was always tempted by Cairo—the Mother of Stories.” In the novel ‘Confessions of a Knight Errant: Drifters, Thieves, and Ali Baba’s Treasure’ (2023), author Gretchen Mcullough writes a rollicking and compelling — albeit confusing and chaotic at times — novel that promises to take readers on a whirlwind journey of adventure across Cairo and beyond. Set in 2011, the story follows two men on the run, Dr. Gary Watson, an environmental activist and university professor accused of being a cyberterrorist, and Kharalombos, a Greek dancing instructor who is wanted by the secret police. Fleeing from one country to another, the two men find themselves in Cairo on Friday, 28 January, otherwise known as the Friday of Rage. Clinging to every opportunity for self-preservation, the two men accept a job offer from Gudrun Grunwald, a German tourist they met in Cairo. They end up hiding out at a Christian girls’ camp in Texas, where both men get embroiled in a series of incidents and events with a variety of characters. The book, although it tells the story of affairs and entanglements, lends itself as a rollercoaster ride for the readers….
Cairo, Chaos, and Comedy: Reviewing ‘Confessions of a Knight Errant: Drifters, Thieves, and Ali Baba’s Treasure’
July 29, 2023
