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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
My first reaction upon finishing this was "what the hell was that?" I randomly picked this out at the library because of its pretty cover. The description on the back also describes it as a novel which analyzes how Americans' misunderstanding of other cultures leads to the destruction of those cultures. Also, the author was a gay New Yorker who lived his whole life as an expat in Morocco, so it sounded cool. Honestly, the first 2/3 of the book could have taken place anywhere, especially any foreign place. It is way more about the dysfunctional relationships of the 3 main characters, mostly focusing on Kit and Port, than anything else. Port is a typical American "traveller, not a tourist" archetype. He loves sex tourism, is outraged when he can't sleep with whatever blind girl he finds hot, and is outraged when the prostitute he sleeps with reaches for his money. He also says at one point that he feels that the Sahara, the dirt, land, trees, etc. belongs to him just as much as it does the Moroccans. At least Kit says "what the hell” to him. I imagine he is probably supposed to be unlikable, but this book just seemed racist to me. (Not to be your friend that's too woke...) I don't think this because Kit experiences fetishized repeated sexual assault at the hands of "the natives" (even though that was handled.... interestingly, because she immediately fell in love with and married the guy, I think it is realistic that a woman traveling alone in the Sahara in the 1930s would experience a lot of sexual violence) but because if there were a Bechdel test where two non-white named characters have to talk about anything not in relation to our main character whiteys then this book would decidedly fail. It's pretty clear, though, that that is going to be the case by the third or so chapter. I admit that the writing style is compelling if a little pretentious. Another thing that bothered me about this book, aside from the racism and then the sleeper weird rape plot that really comes out of left field at the end, is the fact that the characters all just hate each other. Even though affection is expressed sometimes between Kit and Port, to me they really just seem to detest each other. It all had a very cynical vibe to it. At least the weird incestuous English couple was entertaining, but the way everyone (including the reader) hates Tunner just gets tired. Port's (and the narrator's) constant sneering at others' bad French is ironic given that he doesn't speak Arabic.
Maybe some of these complaints are just me having bad reading comprehension, because it's very possible this is a Sopranos-style "we're not supposed to like anyone they’re all bad people” book, but there are stories focused on bad people that are less off-putting than this one. It's this quality combined with the blind spot for depicting anything from "the natives’” point of view that left a bad taste in my mouth. I did still enjoy reading it because of the compelling style, but the more I think about it the more problems there were. I like post-colonial literature so I had high expectations but this did not meet them.
Maybe some of these complaints are just me having bad reading comprehension, because it's very possible this is a Sopranos-style "we're not supposed to like anyone they’re all bad people” book, but there are stories focused on bad people that are less off-putting than this one. It's this quality combined with the blind spot for depicting anything from "the natives’” point of view that left a bad taste in my mouth. I did still enjoy reading it because of the compelling style, but the more I think about it the more problems there were. I like post-colonial literature so I had high expectations but this did not meet them.
“His cry went on through the final image: the spots of raw bright blood on the earth. Blood on excrement. The supreme moment, high above the desert, when the two elements, blood and excrement, long kept apart, merge. A black star appears, a point of darkness in the night sky’s clarity. Point of darkness and gateway to repose. Reach out, pierce the fine fabric of the sheltering sky, take repose.”
What a mind bogglingly beautiful way to describe death. This was one of few moments where Bowles steps back, from what seems like open disdain for his main characters, to apply some grace and compassion.
There is nothing to Shelter you from hardship and horror (clearly evident in where Bowles takes Kit) no Sky to protect from the weight of the world and, most importantly, though you may think the world is broken because you witnessed the wanton time of World War II, if brut death or careless brutality comes to your door you are going to cower and or evade because, ultimately, you still want to live.
Is this book worth reading?
Absolutely.
What a mind bogglingly beautiful way to describe death. This was one of few moments where Bowles steps back, from what seems like open disdain for his main characters, to apply some grace and compassion.
There is nothing to Shelter you from hardship and horror (clearly evident in where Bowles takes Kit) no Sky to protect from the weight of the world and, most importantly, though you may think the world is broken because you witnessed the wanton time of World War II, if brut death or careless brutality comes to your door you are going to cower and or evade because, ultimately, you still want to live.
Is this book worth reading?
Absolutely.
bear in mind that my rating scale is dependant on personal enjoyment, not literary value. keeping that in mind - what the actual fuck did i just read.
i actively dislike introductions that do a plot summary because they basically spoil key details which i think is shitty and stupid. but i still didn’t expect this book to take the turn it took, and i’m still not 100% sure what happened.
i actively dislike introductions that do a plot summary because they basically spoil key details which i think is shitty and stupid. but i still didn’t expect this book to take the turn it took, and i’m still not 100% sure what happened.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There seems to be serious division on the quality of writing versus the story being told. Perhaps refer to other reviews for more details on both of these topics.
For me, the story of a jaded, entitled, young, American couple and several other odd Americans traveling around the world/Africa, has an uphill battle to catch my interest. The questionable behavior accompanied by a side of classism makes a disturbing combination to me, which overshadows the writing style.
For me, the story of a jaded, entitled, young, American couple and several other odd Americans traveling around the world/Africa, has an uphill battle to catch my interest. The questionable behavior
Spoiler
brothels, adultery, incest, mental illness/anxiety...Spoiler
Add to this the highly improbable behavior of Kit and her multiple sexual assaults subsequent to Port’s death, and I’m done.
So....several days after finishing this book, I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. Maybe that's the sign of a great work of literature, that it leaves you unsettled and unsure, but it also might be the sign of a work that doesn't quite translate into another era.
The book describes the travels of 3 white, upper-class Americans into various African towns and communities. I spent sometime online figuring out where some of these towns were, since most of them were not recognizable (the book also takes place just after WWII, which means many of the state names have since changed).
Early on, Port (which feels like such a hipster name to my modern reader's brain--which really might just be an apt classification for translating character type to modern day) hears a story about 3 sisters that went off on a quest to drink tea in the Sahara. These sisters predictably die (not a spoiler, it's a short story told in the second chapter), which lends the entire novel an ominous overtone.
I suppose I am glad that this book was not a rich-white-people travel to Africa to rediscover their true selves kind of book. Such books often seem to give whatever setting (Africa, Asia, South America...anywhere that might be read as "exotic" or "other") short change-- it is merely the backdrop for someone's transformation. Those books often read to me as flat, two-dimensional. This book did not follow that hackneyed plot line.
And yet...it still managed to treat the places and the people very decidedly as "other". I'm still not sure the extent to which that was simply a sign of times (and how most white writers would have simply seen the subject) or whether it was an intentional exploration of that "otherness" that pervades travel novels of the period.
One confused review posting later, I am still unsure of what to make of this book. But it certainly has left me thinking, for what that might be worth to others.
The book describes the travels of 3 white, upper-class Americans into various African towns and communities. I spent sometime online figuring out where some of these towns were, since most of them were not recognizable (the book also takes place just after WWII, which means many of the state names have since changed).
Early on, Port (which feels like such a hipster name to my modern reader's brain--which really might just be an apt classification for translating character type to modern day) hears a story about 3 sisters that went off on a quest to drink tea in the Sahara. These sisters predictably die (not a spoiler, it's a short story told in the second chapter), which lends the entire novel an ominous overtone.
I suppose I am glad that this book was not a rich-white-people travel to Africa to rediscover their true selves kind of book. Such books often seem to give whatever setting (Africa, Asia, South America...anywhere that might be read as "exotic" or "other") short change-- it is merely the backdrop for someone's transformation. Those books often read to me as flat, two-dimensional. This book did not follow that hackneyed plot line.
And yet...it still managed to treat the places and the people very decidedly as "other". I'm still not sure the extent to which that was simply a sign of times (and how most white writers would have simply seen the subject) or whether it was an intentional exploration of that "otherness" that pervades travel novels of the period.
One confused review posting later, I am still unsure of what to make of this book. But it certainly has left me thinking, for what that might be worth to others.
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Utterly bizarre batshiz insane. Especially the last part. Kind of can’t quite get over it.
I've had this book on the shelf for decades--literally--before I finally got to it. The song "Tea in the Sahara" by the Police in 1983 inspired me to seek it out at a used book shop. It was such a unique work for its time, and I loved the way Bowles portrayed the sense of isolation and longing through the environment around the characters. Had no idea Bowles hung around William S. Burroughs, Gertrude Stein, et al until I read the biography in the back...but it totally makes sense now that I've read the book. This one's going to stick in my mind for a long time. I love stories that delve into deeper thematic elements like this!
Hmm. I don't know. I was really enthusiastic about this book throughout the first third or so. Bowles was such a master at painting beautiful (and horrible) pictures with his words, but I started to lose interest when the plot (and the characters) started to dissolve. I guess I wanted more, somehow.