The Narrative Style in Abdo Khal’s Novel “Throwing Sparks”

This study investigates the narrative configuration of Throwing Sparks by Abdo Khal through a contemporary narratological lens, employing the analytical framework of Gérard Genette. It addresses a critical gap in Saudi novel criticism, where thematic approaches predominate at the expense of systematic analysis of narrative techniques. Adopting a qualitative narratological methodology, the study examines temporal structure (order, duration, frequency), spatial construction, characterization, focalization, and linguistic style to uncover the mechanisms through which meaning is generated. The findings reveal a complex narrative system structured around layered temporal disruptions, spatial binaries that encode social hierarchy, and sustained internal focalization through a morally compromised consciousness. The novel further deploys unreliable narration and linguistic hybridity as central strategies for meaning making. The study concludes that Khal’s narrative techniques function not merely as aesthetic devices but as constitutive elements of social critique, thereby advancing critical understanding of narrative experimentation in contemporary Saudi fiction.