A review by kamckim
Azazeel by Youssef Ziedan

5.0

Wow. This is probably one of the most engaging pieces of literary fiction I've read in quite a while. It's the next choice for the IAA parent book club. It took me forever to get a copy in English. None were available in Jordan last Spring, so I ordered via Amazon when I was home over the summer. It arrived the day after we flew back, so my mom finally had to send it to me via Aramex (along with my much-anticipated Lilly Pulitzer Jumbo Agenda). Back to the book, Ziedan writes as Hypa, an Egyptian monk in the days of the church between Arius and Nestorius. I'm not sure this is as much fodder for a historical novel, as say, Elizabethan England. What I found fascinating was the way the narrative presents the transition of the early church from paganism to sophistry to various dogmatic schisms in the early church. It's almost anthropological in this regard. But what is clearer is the dualities that play out in Hypa's own life. Hypa views his moral choices as either/or and leaves no room for ambiguity. He constantly dialogues with his own personal devil, Azazeel, who comes to him during times of temptation. So, Hypa's moral dilemmas mirror the Christological dilemmas of the early church. Was Christ both God and man? Was he fully human without being God for a while? Was Mary to be called the Mother of God or Mother of Christ? Would the power in the church be Alexandria, Constantinople, or Rome? In addition to all these questions raised by the novel, there is some great symbolism woven throughout the book regarding ancient stories of flocks of birds landing on various mountains as harbingers of supernatural change. There are also some very sumptuous love scenes, which were almost too much for me to handle, let alone our poor protagonist. It was extremely enlightening to read about the brief history of the Christian church in Alexandria, as it was soon made part of the Arab conquest. Most Muslims I know fully admit that their Christological point of view is influenced by the beliefs of Nestorius, but I find it fascinating that Cyril was able to pull off his religious coup against Nestorius in Northern Africa. One disturbing theme that runs throughout the entire books is Christ's quote. I have come to bring a sword, not peace. It seems Hypa experienced the sword both spiritually and literally-quite the internal and external conflicts. There is so much to catch in this book, it's on my read-it-again pile. I can't wait for our group discussion.