First impressions of Alif the Unseen

[Emily]

If you're coming to the 2nd book club meeting, or more importantly, if you can't make it, what are some of your thoughts about this month's book?

[Emily]

I loved how the author wove several disparate topics together into a compelling story... and, I have to admit, as a tech-nerd, I loved the computer references--they were pretty well done too (sometimes, authors include some misinformation about computing in novels).

[Patti]

I loved that Alif enlists the help of both fantastical characters and humans to fight evil for the common good. My favorite characters were Vikram, Dina and the religious man (I can't remember his name). Most of all, I loved the story of Alif and Dina. When Alif realizes that he has always loved her, I cried. I love the description of him seeing the inside of her veil-how rich it was with Dina's decoration, her world, and he says to himself "of course it would be this way" it's Dina.

[Molly]

We talked about how plausible the program Alif wrote to track a person's writing on the Internet was. I have to admit I thought it was pretty far fetched until I read this article about how a computer program helped identify JK Rowling as the author of The Cuckoo's Calling. Here is the link to the article. http://zite.to/14gmD6N