Additionally, the novel navigates controversial topics related to politics and society.
The second storyline follows Naji's recollection of an event that happened to him some twenty years back when he was running away from the Lebanese Civil War to Morocco.
Through Naji and the events in the story, the novel discusses many relevant topics including politics, the persistent fear and anxiety in Arab societies, and exile.
Therefore, he was accused of copying western writers, like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, in his use of the stream-of-consciousness style.
This development could be noted in his four novels: The Desolate Time (Az-Zaman Al-Muwḥesh), A Feast for the Seaweeds (Walimah li A'ashab al-Bahr), The Mirrors of Fire (Maraya An-Nar), and The Suns of Gypsies (Shumous al-Ghajar).