Through The Peacock Gate

Sandy Mccutcheon

really liked it 4.00 · Rating details · 5 ratings · 2 reviews

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Paperback, 290 pages

Published April 21st 2018 by Beacon Books

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Jun 17, 2018 Shazia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Through the Peacock Gate is a hard to peg book. It tells the story of Richard, a New Zealander who has moved to Morrocco where he moves into the house of a djinn Aisha. Richard has blood on his hands, which intriguing to the djinn - a mercurial creature of power, seduction, and violence. The story follows her involvement with her, but that is the least interesting or even coherent part of the book. What was fascinating was Richard's experience in Morocco as an outsider, but one who is willing to ...more

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Sep 03, 2018 Saqib Moosa rated it really liked it

I was sent this book to review by the publishers.

I was quite torn between a three and a four. I went for a 4 because the subject matter was quite interesting and the author had a unique take on it, which although I found really weird was still interesting to read.

The book is set in fez, and the descriptive language and focus on detail really helped to visualize the scenes. The author painted a vivid picture of the inside of Richard's house, the courtyard, the tiles, what they looked pre-and po I was sent this book to review by the publishers.

I was quite torn between a three and a four. I went for a 4 because the subject matter was quite interesting and the author had a unique take on it, which although I found really weird was still interesting to read.

The book is set in fez, and the descriptive language and focus on detail really helped to visualize the scenes. The author painted a vivid picture of the inside of Richard's house, the courtyard, the tiles, what they looked pre-and post-restoration. I also really liked the descriptions of the Medina, the smells, the small alleyways, the small coffee places, what they ate, the stalls and vendors and all of the hustle bustle of the streets was really well-illustrated. It also showed the author's knowledge of the areas around Fez and some of the nuances that living there for some time would have taught. The way the adhaan was described and the sounds of the Medina were quite cool.

The same clarity didn't extend to the description of events. A lot of this was probably intentional, as the protagonist is high and/or in euphoric states for a lot of the book, and a lot of supernatural things are happening and being described. All the same, I felt a bit lost for parts of the book. Maybe that was the intention but I didn't really enjoy it. I also finished the book getting a sense that not much happened in the book. The first 100 odd pages were almost all descriptive, and the story didn't start flowing properly until later.

I really appreciated the descriptive use of language, the protagonist describes places around Fez, as well as inside his own house with great details. The same clarity didn't translate through to the events, which were quite confusing and hazy. Part or even most of this might have been intentional, as the protagonist was high for most of the story.

Overall, I left the book with a slightly deeper understanding of Morroco but overall a bit confused as the book had done some really weird stuff. It was a journey through various senses and at times the book was actually quite exhilarating, but the abrupt ending left me wanting for a bit more. ...more

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