Beirut Blues

I read this in one of my comparative literature classes at UC Davis and I loved it. If you are not into surreal, gritty books, then this is most definitely not for you. But, if you like Isabel Allende or Gabriel Garcia Marquez, then this is for you. Also, being Arab, I often find books about the Middle East to be inaccurate and racist, but this one isn't. I definitely would recommend this.

"Beirut Blues" is a thoughtful reflection of the decision to remain home, when home has become a war zone and the dominant concern has been reduced from an abilty to plan for a better future, to being able to survive today without being killed. This book is a haunting portrayal of living in Beirut during the Lebanese civil war. Many Lebanese immigrated during those years; knowing that leaving they had a possibilty of returning when the conflict ended. The main character of the novel, Asmaran is a single Lebanese woman, who has many opportunites to leave the country. Most of her friends and loved ones have left, and physically it would be easy for her to move to a safer nation until the dangers in Lebanon pass. One recieves the impression that she is well educated and relatively affluent, so that suporting herself elsewhere would be perfectly feasible. The story is expressed through letters that she writes to people about her daily struggles and her debate about remaining in Lebanon. Some critique the writing style for being initially confusing to the reader, but I thought that the format creatively demonstrated the turmoil that one experiences when witnessing the end of the only way of life that once has ever known, and never knowing why such things occurred; the struggle to find meaning in it all and retain sanity in an absurdly insane situation. Unfortunately, the torment that the dilemma posed to Asmaran is not anomalic to the people who lived in Beirut during the war. Urban warfare is predicted to be more often to modus operandi for conflicts in the future. This novel is essential to comprehending the plight of many who live in war zones, and was written by an author from Beirut. The novel also helps us respect better the gravity with which many refugees have made the decision to leave their home land and seek solace in ours.

I thought this book really did give a good account of life in Lebanon during the civil war. The storyline was a little confusing at times, but this is more to do with the confusion war brings about generally. The characters were unsure of their futures and their country's future. The style of dividing the book into different letters was great. This way, the reader does get views into life of the main character Asmahan. I enjoyed the secondary characters even more, however, this author really knows how to bring characters to life. Hanan Al-Shaykh writes so differently from any other Middle Eastern author, she definitely deserves more recognition.