The Arsonists' City is Hala Alyan's second novel, published by HarperCollins in 2020.
The book structure follows the Nasr family into the past and the present repeatedly to unfold the intergenerational trauma caused by war and secrets passed down from parents to children.
The matriarch of the family, Mazna Nasr dislikes the home in Beirut due to all the memories she had from her adolescence with Zakaria- Idris’ childhood friend- but despite this she asks for her children’s help to prevent Idris from selling the home.
So much so that it was a factor as to why Naj decided to move back to Beirut, despite having to stay closeted.
The family decides to go back to Idris' home in Beirut to hold a service for his father, in which during that time the book flips to the past, giving us a glimpse of the type of relationship Mazna, Zakaria, and Idris had during the civil war.