Reviews with content warning for Confinement - Alif l'invisibile

Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Alif l'invisibile by G. Willow Wilson

3 reviews

just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is a backlist book that I have had on my TBR longer than almost any other. And every once in a while I'd remember it and be like "I should get the from the library!" and then get distracted by a shiny new release... But I found a copy of this at a local bookstore in the used section just a few months ago and decided that maybe if it was on my home shelf, maybe that would help me pick it up. It didn't hurt that I also recently realized this same author writes the Ms. Marvel comics, which, while I don't actually read those, made her seem super extra cool. And honestly that's what pushed me over the edge to finally pick this one up.

In an unnamed country in the Arab world, a young hacker (screen name, Alif) works to shield his clients online from the invasive surveillance of the government. He offers his talents to anyone, no matter their beliefs/political allegiance, with the goal of general undermining of the state. In a conjunction of terrible circumstances for Alif, his secret relationship with a highborn woman ends with him heartbroken and his computer was breached by the state security system and all his clients are at risk of discovery. When his ex sends him a copy of an ancient tome, a secret book of the jinn, Alif ends up on the run...and pulls a ragtag group with him, including his neighbor, Dina, an elderly imam, a rogue jinn, and more.

First, I need to talk about how awesome the combination of magic and technology and religion/faith was in this book. They are such disparate themes, ones that are often not combined in any way (as I would assume the audience for each has some, but not myriad, overlaps), much less in this unique and contemporary way. But Wilson brings it together phenomenally here, in a way that really does have a little split-out something for each of the original audiences, and a really wonderful "new" something for all of them combined. I have read some of each (for example, The Golden Compass has the magic-religion crossover and Charlie Jane Anders has some interesting takes on the magic-tech crossover), but this juxtaposition of them all together was just...so cool and new. And the fact that it's all set in a recognizable contemporary world, the recent events of the Arab Spring and some philosophical musings about video gaming-religious beliefs, was an extra layer of context that made it all the more applicable for the present-day reader.

I'm not really sure how best to describe the way Wilson brings together mythology and magic within the space of Islamic faith in a way that feels both like a "traditional" adventure fantasy and a legit contemporary reality of life as a Muslim and/or in the Arab world, but it's great. And I am not always a fan of magic in the real world when some people can see/know it and some cannot. Like, I enjoy magical realism when it's universal, but when it's an "only certain people know it's going on" situation, that's not my favorite trope. But Wilson pulls it off here in a way that I was really into. I love the way that Islam and the Quran are being mined in an academic/lingual way that, juxtaposed with the magic and tech, allow for such breadth of interpretation and application. If more people actually studied their own religious texts (whatever religion they are) in this manner, I think we’d discover they're all deeply more inclusive than the current [exclusive] ways it’s being manipulated and used. I mean, I’m not faithful or a believer at all, but I loved reading and was really touched by, some of the religious tales and explorations in this novel. Sort of related, there is some real social commentary infused throughout this story, especially from the convert and Vikram and (later) a social elite character (no spoilers!), but in a way that is somehow light and [almost] satricially humorous. It's fascinating and impressive writing.

Another thing that was great about this novel was the role that stories played. That's a reasonably common fantasy and literary trope, but it's one that I do have a major soft spot for. The meditations on stories and their meanings, as well as the depth of what they can convey or the truth of what they say being limited by the original intent/audience/language, are so fulfilling to read, as a story lover. I have a few other random points to make, that I'll just throw in at the end here. The culmination moment of the fantasy/jinn battle and the IRL Arab Spring was really well brought together; a confluence of behind a screen (sort of magical if you don’t get it) force and its real life consequences, and the power possible there. This included some astute commentary on the anonymity of being behind a screen, and how that means you cannot predict a person's power or alignment by their public standing or stature or finances.This finale of the novel also had an authentic mix of the inspiring and crushing truth that comes with revolution, the responsibility changing hands leaves such a vacuum that, while the fight for freedom is always worth it, does make one question humanity and the choices we make with said freedom.

I was so into this novel, the plot and characters and all the themes and vibes, from the very beginning all the way through to the end. I totally wish that I had gotten to it sooner, but better late than never, and you know I'm gonna be recommending this backlist read all over the place now!

“The act of concealment had become more powerful that what it concealed.”

“Better chaos than slow suffocation.”

“If you’re so afraid, don’t tell me to be rational. Fear isn’t rational.”

“So the stories aren’t just stories, is what you’re saying. They’re really secret knowledge disguised as stories. / One could say that of all stories, younger brother.”

“Dear child, some stories have no morals. Sometimes darkness and sadness are simply that. / How terrible. / Do you think so? I find it reassuring. It saves me from having to divine meaning in every sorrow that comes my way.”

“All translations are made up. […] Languages are different for a reason. You can’t move ideas between them without losing something.”

“…he realized that the ritualized world he had dismissed as feminine was in fact civilization.”

“Wonder and awe have gone out of your religions. You are prepared to accept the irrational, but not the transcendent.”

“Like so many things, it becomes corrupt in the hands of man. But if we were to destroy all the things that man has made corrupt, the earth would be barren in a day.” (Oooof, bringing hard truths.)

“If man’s capacity for the fantastic took up as much of his imagination as his capacity for cruelty, the worlds, seen and unseen, might be very different.”

“Perhaps this was all freedom was – a moment in which all things were possible, overtaken too soon by man’s fearsome instinct to punish and divide.”

Content Warnings

foxgallagher's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

myk_yeah's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I love this story, it's such a captivating adventure with great characters. It's a great opportunity to go back and read some YA lit and have fun.
Upon a reread, I changed my rating from 5 stars to 4.5 because I noticed some pacing issues the second time around. The first half of the book is an incredible build and then when the climax comes it is so drawn out and the resolution abruptly brief. Feels like it should have been edited differently, spaced differently, or maybe split into two books.

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