Suspense, as one of the fundamental pillars of narrative structure, plays a key role in establishing a bond between the text and the audience. The presence of ambiguity and suspense within a text transforms the reading process from a simple reception into a complex interaction with the fictional world. Due to its surreal nature and its engagement with the consequences of civil war, Elias Khoury’s novel Gates of the City (Abwab al-Madina) possesses an ambiguous and complex structure. This research aims to analyze the techniques of suspense and mystery in this novel by examining the narrative and linguistic elements effective in creating this state. Employing a descriptive-analytical method through rigorous textual analysis, this study identifies and elucidates the mechanisms that generate ambiguity in the narrative. The findings indicate that Khoury, by employing strategies such as fragmented narration, polyphony, repetition, ambiguity in character identity, and reliance on the concept of forgetting, has imbued the narrative space with continuous suspense and ambiguity. The results suggest that these techniques transform the reading of the text from a linear reception into a multi-layered and recursive experience, keeping the audience in a state of uncertainty and deeply engaged with the story’s harrowing atmosphere.