Abyssinian

According to the dust jacket, THE ABYSSINIAN by Jean-Christophe Rufin is a first novel. If so, I hope Rufin writes many more books because THE ABYSSINIAN is one of the best works of fiction I've read in a while. Rufin is a French physician who has spent many years working with Doctor's Without Borders. His writing reflects his medical background as well as his love of and regard for his fellow human beings.Rufin is both romantic and a realist. A major thread in the plot of THE ABYSSINIAN involves a romance between his protagonist Jean-Baptiste Poncet, unlicensed lower-class medical practicioner living in Cairo, and Alix Maillet, the beautiful upper-class daughter of the French Ambassador to Egypt. Rufin's story is made real by his deft interweaving of actual historical events and evocative fictional episodes he has crafted from his obvious knowledge of the era and it's political machinations. The basis of the book is an event that occurred in 1699 when Louis XIV sent an embassy of ministers, Jesuits, and a physician to the Negus or King of Abyssinian. The Negus was sick and admitted the strangers only because they accompanied the physician whom he hoped would provide a cure for his malady. In the 17th Century, Abyssinia was a mysterious Coptic Christian country closed to outsiders for centuries. The nation-states of Europe and the Muslim countries of the near east struggled for control of Abyssinia which lay in North Africa southeast of Egypt. A desire for economic gain through trade lay behind the French King's offer of a physician to the Negus. But other factors were at play. In the 17th Century, conflict continued between various Roman Catholic orders, between Catholics and Protestants, and between Christians and Muslims, all of whom sought relgious dominance. THE ABYSSINIAN is populated with French Jesuits, Italian Domincans, and Muslim imams all struggling to convert Abyssinians. The Jesuits' goal was to use the King's embassy as a means of penetrating the Coptic populace for the purpose of proselytization. Like Dumas' action-thrillers, Rufin's book is filled with sword-play, gallantry, and back-stabbing, but unlike Dumas, Rufin's characters are fully developed. Poncet's sidekick, the apothocary Maitre Juremi is vividly drawn. Both Alix and Francoise (Juremi's love interest) are "real" women. Poncet is an honorable young man who seeks to win his fortune and claim his love's hand without selling his soul. His mission is dangerous and as he attempts to make his way back to Alix, the reader will wonder if he can possibly accomplish his goal in an age 'sans merci'. Long after you've read THE ABYSINIAN, you will recall the vivid imagery of an exotic place now lost to the world though civil war, and the wrenching suffering of a pair of lovers separated by the cruel irony of chance.

The Abyssinian is a mesmerizing adventure chocked full of romance and political intrigue set in exotic locales--that doesn't take itself too seriously. Opening in Cairo during the reign of Louis IV, the protagonist of The Abyssinian is Jean-Baptiste Poncet, a young French herbalist/doctor practicing in Cairo. The action really begins when Louis commands the French consul in Egypt to send a delegation to the King of Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Knowing any foreigner, and especially a Christian, would be less than welcome in Abyssinia, leaves the consul, Monsieur de Maillet, in a quandry. What to do? When he hears the Abyssinian king is in need of medical care, Maillet decides to send Poncet, not only to cure the King, but also to convince him to send a delegation to Versailles. Poncet, who has fallen hopelessly in love with Maillet's daughter, Alix, agrees immediately, danger notwithstanding. As the "son of a servant girl and an unknown man," he knows his only chance with Alix is to bring an Abyssinian delegation to Versailles. Poncet's adventures make for fascinating reading as he travels from Cairo to Abyssinia to Versailles. Rufin's prose is, at all times, smooth, pure and elegant and the translation is superb. The characters are fully-developed and extremely likable. And the fact that The Abyssinian doesn't take itself too seriously only adds to the overall charm. The only book I can compare it to is Andrew Miller's Casanova in Love. Both books are equally well-written, but where the love interest in Casanova in Love is extremely weak and deserving of no one's love except her mother's, Alix is both charming and engaging. Extremely well-written on all counts, I found this book to be a pure delight.

I feel compelled to review this book in order to inspire others to read it. The book provides a rich and rewarding reading experience. Loaded with history. Loaded with adventure. Loaded with romance. "The Abyssinian" is brilliant adventure. For educated readers who often feel cheated by the cheap thrills so common to popular fiction, this book is a godsend. Every page teaches and awes and thrills. Of course there are limits inherent to the adventure genre, but this novel so often transcends the genre with its barrage of detail, research, well written descriptions, and well drawn characters that it is first and foremost an intelligent work of literature. Lucky for the reader, it is so darn much fun to read!

This is a fascinating tale beautifully written, even in translation. The characters are realistically depicted, the plot is plausible, scenic descriptions immediate and compelling. Overall, it's a whacking great read. There are amusing modern overtones in the doctor-author's depiction of Roman Catholic priests and monks, the era's medical profession and savants. Not to be missed if you are a fan of historical fiction or at all interested in history.

I have read this book in French and can say that it is well worth reading whether in French or English or any other language. It has a texture and magnificence that one rarely encounters. Parts of it evoke The Sheltering Sky, Lawrence of Arabia and The English Patient. Its structure twists and turns unexpectedly but ultimately gratifies resoundingly when the last page is turned.