A mesmerizing, epic novel.
The debut novel of Iraqi-American author and filmmaker Nassery tells the saga of the troubled past of a man and his country, encompassing half a century and, in the tradition of Homer, merging stories from different perspectives.
In poetic prose, the story begins with a Chicago-based American-Iraqi man in conflict. Following 9/11 and the continuous news reports on Iraq, Salam can no longer ignore the country from which he came. Uncomfortable with the fact he has turned his back on his homeland, he embarks on a journey to seek closure. He reminisces about being a child in Iraq and a mysterious gypsy woman who would tell tales of his local village to all of the children while she watched over them. This gypsy woman tells fascinating stories of what has happened in Salam’s hometown over a period of 50 years. These tales are the highlight of the novel and are an appealing mixture of myths, fictional accounts and true stories. As a child, Salam, his siblings and his friends form such a bond with this gypsy woman that she becomes something of a surrogate mother to them. In fact, the gypsy woman is still there when, years later, Salam returns to Iraq, because she is a mirage of this magical town filled with secrets—one that will always be there. Telling the tales of Salam’s friends, the wolves, as well as the secrets of Salam’s homeland, the gypsy woman plays an integral role in Salam’s coming to terms with the dichotomy of his homeland in Iraq and his new home in the United States, and his struggle with feeling a separation from both lands. The subject matter can be heavy and the journey a lengthy one, but Nassery weaves a rich tapestry that envelopes the reader in a fully realized world. Although partly mystical and fantasy, the novel contains many gripping real accounts that coincide with documented historical facts and current events. With Iraq and its war making world news for the past several years, this intricate, deftly constructed novel will leave readers reflecting on their preconceived notions of the Middle East while it also opens the door to a new perspective and understanding of the cultures and mindset of the Iraqi people.
A mesmerizing, epic novel.Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2011
ISBN: 978-0984833603
Page Count: 617
Publisher: Armand Nassery
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
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