It explores the response to the Arab Spring by satirizing the government's dehumanization of its citizens, contrasting governmental power with grassroots dissenters.

[1] In Egypt, fake news, forged documents, and the intimidation of healthcare workers have been used as government tactics to exert control over the populace.

[5] Abdel Aziz began writing the novel in September 2012, about 3 months after the Muslim Brotherhood took power during the Egyptian Crisis.

Abdel Aziz was inspired by a specific event in which she saw a large line of people waiting outside of a closed government office.

She chose not to set her novel in a particular city because "a totalitarian regime ... could be based in any place, and I wanted to express this in universal terms.

"[6] Abdel Aziz counts 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell, as well as books by Franz Kafka, among her literary influences.

[4] Publishers Weekly stated that "at its best, the novel captures a sense of futility and meaninglessness" and found it to be a fitting metaphor for the plight of Egypt after the Arab Spring.