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A review by notlikethebeer
Alibis: Essays on Elsewhere by André Aciman
4.0
If I ever go back to Paris (which I hope I will), I won't return to the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is the biggest draw of Paris, and so everyone flocks there, understandably. However, from the top of the Eiffel Tower, you look out over the city and realise that the landscape is missing one essential thing: the pyramid-esque structure that makes you know you are in Paris. The question becomes- do you want to go up the Eiffel Tower, and be in Paris by knowing you are up there; or do you want to seek alternate views (the Sacre Coeur, for example), and be in Paris by being able to see the Eiffel Tower? This is what I was reminded of when Aciman presented, in the final chapter of the book, the choice of whether you want to be in Manhattan, or see Manhattan.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that Aciman brilliantly and eloquently communicated all manner of opinions, emotions and concepts that I know I've given a lot of attention to, and that I think many of us do. His knack is for making the personal universal, and he does this so well in Alibis- presents his own experiences, unique to him, in a way that I, for one, felt seen and heard. As a fan of CMBYN, Alibis is different, because it's not about the same love affairs- but that is not to say it is not about love affairs at all. Even Aciman's tenuous conflicted relationship with Alexandria is a love affair in it's own way. I think the main criticism of this book is that Aciman sometimes complicates his point: there are times when I think I fully understand what he means, then a page later it's become more complex and I'm unsure. It's not an easy read, in that the act of reading and understanding it is somewhat intense!
That being said, Alibis is excellent. It is very personal, and I don't want to take away Aciman's experiences of someone in exile, someone who has had to face identity in a way many of us have the privilege to ignore. That being said, there is so much universality here too. This is a collection of essays for anyone who feels they never quite fit in, for anyone who's identity feels fragmented and in flux, for anyone who wants to inhabit an Eiffel Tower with a view of the Eiffel Tower, or a Manhattan with a view of Manhattan: both, and neither, at exactly the same time.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that Aciman brilliantly and eloquently communicated all manner of opinions, emotions and concepts that I know I've given a lot of attention to, and that I think many of us do. His knack is for making the personal universal, and he does this so well in Alibis- presents his own experiences, unique to him, in a way that I, for one, felt seen and heard. As a fan of CMBYN, Alibis is different, because it's not about the same love affairs- but that is not to say it is not about love affairs at all. Even Aciman's tenuous conflicted relationship with Alexandria is a love affair in it's own way. I think the main criticism of this book is that Aciman sometimes complicates his point: there are times when I think I fully understand what he means, then a page later it's become more complex and I'm unsure. It's not an easy read, in that the act of reading and understanding it is somewhat intense!
That being said, Alibis is excellent. It is very personal, and I don't want to take away Aciman's experiences of someone in exile, someone who has had to face identity in a way many of us have the privilege to ignore. That being said, there is so much universality here too. This is a collection of essays for anyone who feels they never quite fit in, for anyone who's identity feels fragmented and in flux, for anyone who wants to inhabit an Eiffel Tower with a view of the Eiffel Tower, or a Manhattan with a view of Manhattan: both, and neither, at exactly the same time.