The Read Around The World Book Club discussion
January 2019 OMAN
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Second half of the book
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Melanie
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Jan 03, 2019 05:27AM
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Pros: Knew nothing about Oman and the fact that I googled thinks like "slavery" was an eye opener.
Loved learning about the traditions and how Western influences start to re-shape their society. Interesting as well as to what gets absorbed and what not.
Cons: The language was confusing, I often had no idea who was talking and to keep them all apart in my mind was a struggle. The writing style also kept changing and it did not feel as if that was a stylistic element, but more an inconsistency.
Still glad I read it.
After reading the first fifty pages or so in fits and starts I read most of the rest in one go and feel that was the way to go, it was much easier keeping everyone straight and I just got pulled in. I loved finding out about a country, history and culture I knew virtually nothing about and need to go down a Wikipedia hole to find out more about the European interference and the civil wars. The slavery aspect was surprising and shocking but I enjoyed the tales about the jinn, the traditions to do with marriage and burial, the way the new was affecting the old.
Abdallah’s treatment and torture by his father was clearly a defining aspect of his life and I thought his voice was effective, London and her relationship seemed like more of a cliche and I would have liked to learn more about her. We never find out who Mayya was in love with though I suspect it was an Englishman from her obsession with the country and despite her voice opening the book she seems a shadow in the background of the book.
Zarifa was a fantastic character and I enjoyed the voices of Asma and Khalwa. The stories of Azzan and Qamar were less compelling although some of the poetry was lovely and I liked the chapters focused on minor characters like Marwan the Pure and Masouda that built up the picture and gave each character as voice.
Overall it almost felt more like a book of interconnected short stories but as I’m a fan of those, this really worked for me and I’m glad this book was chosen.
I think I loved this. I just finished reading it minutes ago, and can’t quite piece my reaction together yet. I certainly really really liked it. The polyvocal novel was extremely intricate and I had to pay very close attention and constantly flip back to earlier passages to keep all the genealogical and other connections straight – the family tree at the beginning of the book was helpful but only to a limited degree.I’m left with one unresolved knot, and right now I don’t have the time or patience to scan the entire novel again to see if there’s something I might’ve missed. Who was the slave Saleem, slave of Shaykh Said, who the Merchant Salayman’s sister said was with (sexually?) his wife Fatima at the basil bush on page 228? I couldn’t recall reading anything about him earlier, but certainly the key to other mysteries that are easy to miss in this text relate to Shaykh Said and members of his household. This one, I can’t untie or unravel. Can anyone help me out? :-)
Jenni, yes, I think the implication is that Fatima is poisoned by Abdallah’s aunt, who I just noticed has no name. Zarifa seems to know this and it’s why she tastes Abdallah’s food when he is young. I couldn’t find any reference to Saleem on a cursory look but kind of feel he was just an tool for Abdallah’s aunt to kill Fatima, not important enough to mention anywhere else. Please someone fill me in if you find him! 😄
Interesting! I myself sort of concluded that Zarifa was also involved in the conspiracy to kill Fatima, given her motive – wasn’t she already lovers with the merchant by then? And didn’t the merchant himself murder Fatima after the nameless aunt insinuated to him that Fatima had committed adultery with Saleem? I’m so confused, but intrigued – thanks for your comments!
I also presumed Zarifa had some involvement in Fatima’s death. I’m not sure why she’d have kept her knowledge secret from Abdallah for so many years, otherwise. Perhaps she served up the poisoned food, or administered the poison, on behalf of Abdallah’s aunt? Since she was a slave working in the household at the time. Her continued silence (and the book’s frequent references to this) certainly seem suspicious to me.Another missed connection I’d like help with, if you can - towards the end where London is speaking with her friend about her failing marriage to Ahmad, Hanan says: “And it turns out his grandfather was a shepherd for your grandmother’s father fifty years ago and your grandmother swears she’ll slit your throat if you marry him?”. Is Ahmad’s grandfather someone we’ve come across earlier in the book?
I didn’t bother to scan the book again and try to solve the last few mysteries. As Mel said, probably they’re not entirely solved. I loved the novel, it was a five-star read for me, and I will want to read it again in a few years and see if I can get more out of it on a second reading! :-)
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I think for this one I agree with Mel, I really enjoyed reading about Oman and googling my way through all the historic and social components I had never heard about, but the style of the book was not for me. I think it was confusing at some points and there were very little resolution at some points. I don't know...As always I'm glad we read it anyway.
It wasn't an easy read because of the many characters and the jumping in time. But I really enjoyed it and once I got into the flow of it, it wasn't that hard anymore to follow. My first book from and about Oman and it was fascinating. Glad I read it and I would never have heard of it, without this book club. Thanks Mel!
Oh, it is on the longlist for the Man Booker International Prize, how wonderful!
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