title: The Hakawati
text: # The Hakawati
  
  The Hakawati ("storyteller" in Arabic) is a novel written by Rabih Alameddine and published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2008. The novel explores Lebanese families and cultures, and was well received by critics.
  
  ## Plot summary
  
  Set in 2003, a young man travels from Los Angeles, California to his father's death-bed in Beirut, Lebanon. He and relatives share contemporary stories and parables during the vigil.
  
  ## Characters
  
  * Afreet Jehanam
  * Baybars
  * Elie
  * Farid al-Kharrat
  * Fatima
  * Ismail
  * Lina
  * Mariella
  * Osama al-Kharrat
  * Othman
  * Uncle Jihad
  