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The Road from Damascus
It is summer 2001 and Sami Traifi is struggling. His PhD seems to be slipping ever further from his grasp, and a recent trip home to Damascus has thrown up some disturbing family secrets. On top of all this, his wife Muntaha has just announced that she is taking up the hijab, at a time when he couldn't feel more distant from faith, religion, and from having any answers for any of the big questions. Furious with Muntaha, he finds himself embarking on a spontaneous quest for meaning and fulfillment, but all too soon his search spirals into a hedonistic rampage and threatens to destroy everything that he has.
- GenresFiction
368 pages, Paperback
First published June 5, 2008
16 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Robin Yassin-Kassab
17 books49 followersRobin Yassin-Kassab was born in London in 1969. He has taught English around the Arab world as well as in Turkey, and has been a journalist in Pakistan. His first novel, The Road From Damascus, was published in 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 16, 2012
They used his body as a door to his soul. They climbed in through it, keeping their boots on, found the soul and kicked it down to size. In quieter moments they reasoned with it gently, convincing it that if it did exist, it certainly had no right to. Then they hoovered it up, all except a grain, a peppercorn of hope. I will live, it said. I will see Mouna. She will make me better. We will start again.
February 7, 2012
To be honest, I found the first 50 pages excessively boring and over-detailed. I must confess, however, that my understanding of the purpose of the book do justify the way it was written. It is meant to describe the life of Arabs in the West, in places were an Orientalist judgement seems to befall Arab Muslims in particular. The book is very thought-provoking and worth reading.
February 21, 2017
'You need to be attentive to know what you believe. Muntaha experiences God's comings and goings. Because it goes too; it isn't always there. Inside her, hot and cold alternate like the seasons. And she knows which she prefers. She aims for summer. She aims for light.'
The Road from Damascus by Robin Yassin-Kassab was an absolute pleasure to read. Published in 2008, this really felt like a huge step in the right direction for genuine representations of British Muslims in contemporary fiction. There were elements that felt repetitive and overdone (the figure of the 'extremist', the idea of secularism as the single 'enlightened' way of life) but, Yassin-Kassab took these stereotypical themes found in novels by Rushdie, Kureishi etc and contextualised them, allowed his readers to understand why the characters are the way they are, and challenged them in all the right ways. That's so important when writing of issues as potentially problematic as these.
This book was very thoughtful, and I loved that about it. It was intelligent, philosophical, full of life and clearly written with love. My FAVOURITE thing about it was the character Muntaha, a British/Iraqi Muslim woman and teacher who decides to wear hijab. Her character is fierce, firm, and so empowering. She rejects the negative vibes from all the crappy men around her and really embodies all the parts of Islam I love the most.
The Road from Damascus was a breath of fresh air, and considering it was written almost ten years ago I have hope of even more, even better representations of Muslims in fiction being created and published in the next few years! (Hopefully my own book too!)
The Road from Damascus by Robin Yassin-Kassab was an absolute pleasure to read. Published in 2008, this really felt like a huge step in the right direction for genuine representations of British Muslims in contemporary fiction. There were elements that felt repetitive and overdone (the figure of the 'extremist', the idea of secularism as the single 'enlightened' way of life) but, Yassin-Kassab took these stereotypical themes found in novels by Rushdie, Kureishi etc and contextualised them, allowed his readers to understand why the characters are the way they are, and challenged them in all the right ways. That's so important when writing of issues as potentially problematic as these.
This book was very thoughtful, and I loved that about it. It was intelligent, philosophical, full of life and clearly written with love. My FAVOURITE thing about it was the character Muntaha, a British/Iraqi Muslim woman and teacher who decides to wear hijab. Her character is fierce, firm, and so empowering. She rejects the negative vibes from all the crappy men around her and really embodies all the parts of Islam I love the most.
The Road from Damascus was a breath of fresh air, and considering it was written almost ten years ago I have hope of even more, even better representations of Muslims in fiction being created and published in the next few years! (Hopefully my own book too!)
February 20, 2013
I couldn't wait to get to the end. It was a bit of a slog. The guy who wrote it has just invented a story about the world that he knows, but it isn't particularly good, interesting or well written. I felt like there were loads of caricatures rather than characters, like his brother in law for instance. Too many thoughts of the author masquerading as a character thinking. If i'd have read a precis of the book before reading it and seeing exactly when it was set, instead of just admiring the cover, I don't think that I would have read it. I actually can't even be bothered to say anymore.
December 9, 2016
A complex story about family, religion, history and identity. What does it mean to be an Arab, a Muslim, living in modern London? A chaotic jumbled picture of life in London, and Syrian Sami's conflict with his religion - or lack of it - his failure as an academic; his marriage. The confusion of modern urban life and out place within it, and coming to terms with identity and your family.
An unusual book.
P.S. the writer has a Syrian father and an English mother.
An unusual book.
P.S. the writer has a Syrian father and an English mother.
September 14, 2011
When we have inner battles with ourselves.. when we cannot escape our past, and have it influencing the future in some way..
This novel tells the story of Sami Traifi.. who have a mixed past hanging on a string that starts from Damascus and ends in London.. after the darkness comes the dawn.. and the hope.
This novel tells the story of Sami Traifi.. who have a mixed past hanging on a string that starts from Damascus and ends in London.. after the darkness comes the dawn.. and the hope.
May 29, 2015
hmm, i guess i randomly picked up a jewish book and now an arabic book - how funny.
yassin-kassab's writing style is excellent and descriptive - particularly as the novel starts out. it's about sami traifi's crisis in faith - a muslim that believes religion is stupid and mere fantasy. the death of his father and a visit to syria revisit him constantly in nightmares and he withdraws from everything. the novel is a story about several people and particularly his journey towards understanding himself, being and believing.
it had it's problem areas for me and the writing feels a little overbearing to me towards his downward spiral, but overall i enjoyed the book, and particularly enjoyed the strength of his wife's character, muntaha.
yassin-kassab's writing style is excellent and descriptive - particularly as the novel starts out. it's about sami traifi's crisis in faith - a muslim that believes religion is stupid and mere fantasy. the death of his father and a visit to syria revisit him constantly in nightmares and he withdraws from everything. the novel is a story about several people and particularly his journey towards understanding himself, being and believing.
it had it's problem areas for me and the writing feels a little overbearing to me towards his downward spiral, but overall i enjoyed the book, and particularly enjoyed the strength of his wife's character, muntaha.
February 2, 2019
Beautiful metaphors and similies!
"True, tradition has had decayed so long it had crumbled into itself, its crumbs had been thorougly mulched in the jaws of various modernisms."
This book is about the journey of a Syrian living in London to find himself, confronting his culture, his religion, his family and his past. The writing is great. The style superb. It addresses all the senses.
"True, tradition has had decayed so long it had crumbled into itself, its crumbs had been thorougly mulched in the jaws of various modernisms."
This book is about the journey of a Syrian living in London to find himself, confronting his culture, his religion, his family and his past. The writing is great. The style superb. It addresses all the senses.
November 16, 2022
A beautifully written book, poetic, with remarkable imagery replete with similes and metaphors but, like a rich cake one slice is more than enough. There are certain chapters which could have been left out.
The book is set in multicultural London amongst first and second generation refugees. Sami Traifi, a perpetual student, sets off for Damascus, for inspiration to help his thesis on Arabic poetry. There he meets Syrian reality which results in his exploration of his career, his family relationships and his faith. I thought the (London) Arabic reaction to the Twin Tower bombing in New York interesting.
It is a book worth reading and I will certainly read it again, leaving out some sections.
The book is set in multicultural London amongst first and second generation refugees. Sami Traifi, a perpetual student, sets off for Damascus, for inspiration to help his thesis on Arabic poetry. There he meets Syrian reality which results in his exploration of his career, his family relationships and his faith. I thought the (London) Arabic reaction to the Twin Tower bombing in New York interesting.
It is a book worth reading and I will certainly read it again, leaving out some sections.
May 27, 2022
This was quite an interesting book. It is a novel about a young Syrian-British man trying to find his way. It's a story about identity and faith, self discovery and unlearning prejudices. Family, relationships and cultural friction amidst the cosmopolitan and chaotic backdrop of late 20th century London. The writing is vigorous, eloquent and remarkably detailed. A bit rambling and bizarre at times, like a stream of consciousness from the author, there were certain passages that could have been left out to make the story flow more smoothly. Perhaps this is just my personal taste. Nevertheless, it was a worthwhile read with a unique perspective.
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March 19, 2012Opening in the now ominous summer of 2001, Yassin-Kassab’s promising first novel sees Sami Traifi wandering through the crowded markets and alleyways of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city: Damascus.
Feeling unmoored and rootless in London, Sami has travelled to his father’s birthplace in a misguided attempt to make sense of his rapidly unravelling life. What Sami discovers there only adds to his troubles, and when he returns to England, his drifting uncertainty worsens. From the flawed but ultimately likeable Sami to his beautiful, poised and self-contained wife Muntaha, her apparently pious and conservative father Marwan and callow brother Ammar, every character steps from the pages a fully rounded human being. Whether meditating on family history, or the immigrant experience, reflecting on love, poetry, death and the meaning of faith or the rejection of it, Yassin-Kassab reminds us how rich a good book can be. A very enjoyable, wise and intelligent novel that grows in the telling.
Feeling unmoored and rootless in London, Sami has travelled to his father’s birthplace in a misguided attempt to make sense of his rapidly unravelling life. What Sami discovers there only adds to his troubles, and when he returns to England, his drifting uncertainty worsens. From the flawed but ultimately likeable Sami to his beautiful, poised and self-contained wife Muntaha, her apparently pious and conservative father Marwan and callow brother Ammar, every character steps from the pages a fully rounded human being. Whether meditating on family history, or the immigrant experience, reflecting on love, poetry, death and the meaning of faith or the rejection of it, Yassin-Kassab reminds us how rich a good book can be. A very enjoyable, wise and intelligent novel that grows in the telling.
February 3, 2016
it's not that i didn't like it. It actually started really good.. but u get to the middle of the book and after Muntaha's father dies, i think the story kind of drifts to no where. It got a little boring actually, but anyway the ending was kind of good.. Not highly recommended ..
October 26, 2008
A well written and insightful insight into the lives of young Arab Muslims in the UK. Highly recommended, read this, especially if you are not a Muslim, and you'll learn a lot.
March 29, 2013
Dont have much appreciation for translation works by Middle Eastern writers ... atleast I dont enjoy their work ... !!! No more ...
October 11, 2013
This book is extremely BORING. I hate it. I've read 18 chapters and I can't imagine how I'll manage to go through the rest of it. Total waste of money.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews