This tale unfolds through three souls, each burdened with a destiny they never chose.
First comes Jad—a man cloaked in mystery, whose life shatters in an instant by a tragic accident. Cast beyond the limits of flesh, he drifts into an otherworldly dimension where strangers speak in riddles. There, he confronts companions and the haunting echoes of his unfinished life.
Then rises Bilal, a Sudanese writer bound to his father’s legacy. His pen becomes both weapon and salvation as he resists the trivialities of modern existence. Beneath the shallow mask of human interaction, he searches for truth, daring to believe words can still spark change in a world that has forgotten how to listen.
Finally, Lucas, a Belgian smuggler scarred by betrayal and cast out by society. His path leads to a Kathmandu prison, where time corrodes and hope flickers faint. Yet even there, he resists surrender, clawing toward redemption, yearning for the one thing long denied him—change.
Though their journeys begin apart, fate draws them to a single moment. At 9:26, when time stops and truth demands to be faced, their stories merge—revealing the hidden thread that binds them: the struggle for forgiveness and the hope of becoming whole.
This tale unfolds through three souls, each burdened with a destiny they never chose.
First comes Jad—a man cloaked in mystery, whose life shatters in an instant by a tragic accident. Cast beyond the limits of flesh, he drifts into an otherworldly dimension where strangers speak in riddles. There, he confronts companions and the haunting echoes of his unfinished life.
Then rises Bilal, a Sudanese writer bound to his father’s legacy. His pen becomes both weapon and salvation as he resists the trivialities of modern existence. Beneath the shallow mask of human interaction, he searches for truth, daring to believe words can still spark change in a world that has forgotten how to listen.
Finally, Lucas, a Belgian smuggler scarred by betrayal and cast out by society. His path leads to a Kathmandu prison, where time corrodes and hope flickers faint. Yet even there, he resists surrender, clawing toward redemption, yearning for the one thing long denied him—change.
Though their journeys begin apart, fate draws them to a single moment. At 9:26, when time stops and truth demands to be faced, their stories merge—revealing the hidden thread that binds them: the struggle for forgiveness and the hope of becoming whole.
“They say when someone dies, their soul lingers within the body for a span of seven seconds. And during those seven, long seconds, I will tell you my story.”
I am Jad, and it all started the day fate guided my steps towards the unknown. To accurately describe myself, I was clueless. I messed up and lost many battles. Losing track of time was an additional burden on my soul. My life was nothing but shades of black and gray. Dark, as the most intense shadow on a sunless day. Yet I was still alive, meaning my role in life was not over. This is legitimate. When an individual perishes, their part in this enigmatic and burdensome existence draws to a close, signaling the need for peaceful repose. What I can say is that my loss surpassed all expectations in that I lost myself. I’m not trying to exaggerate, but I did fail and have stepped into the unknown. Life is mysterious. On certain days, life enriches our souls, while on others, it astonishes us with its melancholic nature. Please do not misunderstand me, for what I have experienced does not revolve around the loss of wealth and possessions. I have had an abundance of both, and I still do. It is not solely about the passing of a cherished individual either. I am mature enough to comprehend that such tragedies occur daily, often without warning.
My situation differs slightly. I have been fortunate enough to have everything I ever desired and have diligently pursued every avenue that led me towards the fulfillment of my dreams. My environment has been nothing short of exceptional. To put it simply, I have never lacked anything in life. On that very day, as I found myself engulfed in a state of confusion and uncertainty, I sensed that it was the end. I did not feel sadness about this seemingly dark reality, as I had become accustomed to anticipating its arrival. I was prepared to withstand the bitterness that accompanied such an encounter. Yes, I was ready, and it appeared that my prayers had been answered, for I was now being sent for rest.
9:26 by Hussein Kandil is a story that is threefold. Jad is a man who has become adrift after a tragic accident and finds himself on a bus populated by people who tend to speak in riddles and are both independent but co-dependent. Alongside him we have Bilal, a young man who wishes to fulfill his father’s dream of potentially changing the world one day and his chosen method to do so is through writing. Finally we have Lucas, a middle-aged man who winds up in prison after getting caught smuggling drugs and while there he seems to undergo a remarkable transformation.
This book was definitely interesting and I enjoyed getting to follow along with these different characters as they went on their individual journeys. I could easily tell each of them apart and felt like I got to know them by the end of the story. However, there were times where I was confused because it didn’t always clearly indicate who was the narrator at any given point in time. There was even one time where it kept switching names on me so I wasn’t sure which character’s story I was reading. The only thing I would have liked is for a bit more to the story as I felt like it was remarkably short for what it was trying to portray. I still enjoyed reading it though as it was an interesting story about how the most unexpected connections can create potentially lasting impacts. The story was good as were the characters but due to the confusion about the change in narrators I am only giving it three out of five stars.
This book is probably going to hold the most appeal for readers who enjoy contemporary fiction, especially if it has a touch of the supernatural about it. While it is aimed predominantly at older readers I could see it being read by teenagers and young adults as well. There wasn’t any content that would make it unsuitable for them.