Angels of Cairo

Gary Raymond is a novelist, critic, editorand broadcaster. He is the presenter of TheReview Show for BBC Radio Wales, andis editor of Wales Arts Review. He is theauthor of two previous novels, The GoldenOrphans (Parthian, 2018) and For ThoseWho Come After (Parthian, 2015), as wellas a non-fiction book, How Love ActuallyRuined Christmas (Parthian, 2020). Hissecond novel, The Golden Orphans, waspicked as best new crime novel in TheSpectator and was previewer’s pick of themonth for June 2018 in The Bookseller. Itremained on the WH Smith fiction chart for six weeks. He has edited awide range of fiction and non-fiction books, from short story anthologiesto political memoir. As a critic he has been seen in the pages of TheGuardian and heard on BBC Radio Four’s Front Row and BBC RadioThree’s Sunday Morning programme.

Robert Clifford is in Cairo to present his latest film for a festival prize. It has taken seven gruelling years of his life to make and is definitely NOT a film about his mother. But his moment in the spotlight is not quite as he scripted. There are rumours the jury could be influenced.Nobody can lay their hands on a copy of the film. And even his girlfriend thinks it’s about his mother. Cliff’s producer has not turned up but sent his nephew Lewis Proudfoot instead. Lewis has a script of his own to sell and is determined that everyone should hear about it. Then a meeting is arranged with a group of the festival organiser’s friends, who may or may not be revolutionaries...Angels of Cairo is a fast-moving, acerbic comedy told over a single day but capturing a lifetime of angst and self-doubt.‘A sharp, pacy novel that has all the best hallmarks of the literary thriller...’- Patrick McGuiness on The Golden Orphans