A heartbreaking story about a family and an impossible love torn apart by secrets and traditions in late 20th century Cairo.

In a close-knit Levantine Christian family in 1960s Cairo, Tarek’s entire life is mapped out in advance. He will become a doctor like his father, get married and have children. Under the watchful eye of the family’s strong women, he begins to do just that – until a patient’s son, Ali, enters his life and turns it upside down. The two men’s unspeakable relationship sets off a series of events as dramatic as the Six-Day War and the assassination of President Anwar Sadat, which play out in the background.

At the turn of the millennium, Tarek lives as a doctor in Montreal. Someone writes about him and to him, reconstructing a past that he would prefer to forget. But who is the author of this story? And will Tarek find out in time?

From Cairo’s grand boulevards and hidden alleyways to the gloomy winter of Montreal, from the reign of Nasser to the early 2000s, What I Know About You tells the heartbreaking story of a family torn apart by an incredible love. (By Coach House Books)

Éric Chacour is a Montreal-based writer who grew up in France and Quebec to Egyptian parents. In addition to his writing, he works in the financial sector. What I know about you is his first book and was a bestseller in the French edition, winning numerous awards including the Prix Femina.

Pablo Strauss has translated 12 novels, several graphic novels and a screenplay. He was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for translations of The country will not bring us peace, Synapses And The longest year. His translation of The diver by Stephane Larue The dishwasher won the Amazon First Novel Award 2020. He lives in Quebec City.