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A review by sterling8
Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson
3.0
I read this just after re-reading Snow Crash for a book club. There are quite a few similar themes between both books- the idea of language as code and metaphor, the subversiveness of the electronic community. Also, I think both books are a bit overhyped.
I believe that the author is writing to get a western audience to understand the interior world of Muslims, but unfortunately I wasn't able to make the jump all the way. Alif comes across as a petulant boy for most of the book, sulking over his girlfriend/wife jilting him for another man who was chosen by her parents for an arranged marriage. There is this mysticism and fetishism of the female body. Because it's concealed, it is a very private, intimate, and holy thing to be allowed to see, to the point that when Alif is allowed to see the face and body of his friend Dina, he understands that she will allow no other man to marry her because of the intimacy she has already given. Also, he instantly falls in love with her once he sees her body. I didn't find this romantic but creepy. Is this my failing to make the cultural leap? I don't know. But I do know that I don't see this as a good thing for women, but something that limits them to being placed on pedestals and labeled as either good or bad depending on their piety. Dina, Alif's friend, has chosen to veil herself even though it is not expected for someone of her class. I'd have loved to know more about why Dina chose this path, but we only see the results of her choice from the outside, from a male's point of view. Dina seems to have very strong ideals and opinions, but she doesn't get to have much agency, being bundled out of the way with an injury for much of the book.
There are three main female characters in the book: Dina, Alif's girlfriend Intisar, and "the convert", a white woman who has converted to Islam who never gets a name. They seem to all be avatars of a certain type: Intisar is wealthy, feckless, spoiled and inconstant, Dina is pure and righteous, and the convert is well meaning but too intellectual and clueless about the culture she has chosen until she finds a man and gets pregnant, at which point she is still ineffectual but content. There are also a couple of genie women, but they are relegated to either sleeping with Alif or helping him get to the next plot point. I can't find much to enjoy in this perspective of women.
Moving on! I think this book is probably seen as more ground-breaking for those who haven't read much SF/F. There are jinn and magic, which I found interesting but not incredibly original, and the computer part of the book just seemed like nonsense. I don't know much about programming or hacking, but I get the feeling that the author knows even less than I do.
I think that the author has some interesting things to say about information and communication. Living in the USA, I suppose I'm entirely too complacent about how I surf the net, whether or not my data is protected and if I'm being spied upon. I suppose that's because I live in a free society and don't fear the government. Alif's country is quite different, and the thought that anyone could be picked up at any time for going to the wrong site or posting the wrong thing is chilling. There's even a passage in the book where a character says of Westerners that "they'll get theirs, and they won't even see it coming." With the latest news about the NSA and Snowden, maybe we're there. But it seems to all be going away without much changing, so maybe we've taken so much for granted that we're not even concerned about what's going on behind the scenes.
So, I'm not too enamoured of the book itself, its characters, world-building, or plot. The most interesting thing about it is the thoughts about information, freedom, and what it means to have a revolution.
I believe that the author is writing to get a western audience to understand the interior world of Muslims, but unfortunately I wasn't able to make the jump all the way. Alif comes across as a petulant boy for most of the book, sulking over his girlfriend/wife jilting him for another man who was chosen by her parents for an arranged marriage. There is this mysticism and fetishism of the female body. Because it's concealed, it is a very private, intimate, and holy thing to be allowed to see, to the point that when Alif is allowed to see the face and body of his friend Dina, he understands that she will allow no other man to marry her because of the intimacy she has already given. Also, he instantly falls in love with her once he sees her body. I didn't find this romantic but creepy. Is this my failing to make the cultural leap? I don't know. But I do know that I don't see this as a good thing for women, but something that limits them to being placed on pedestals and labeled as either good or bad depending on their piety. Dina, Alif's friend, has chosen to veil herself even though it is not expected for someone of her class. I'd have loved to know more about why Dina chose this path, but we only see the results of her choice from the outside, from a male's point of view. Dina seems to have very strong ideals and opinions, but she doesn't get to have much agency, being bundled out of the way with an injury for much of the book.
There are three main female characters in the book: Dina, Alif's girlfriend Intisar, and "the convert", a white woman who has converted to Islam who never gets a name. They seem to all be avatars of a certain type: Intisar is wealthy, feckless, spoiled and inconstant, Dina is pure and righteous, and the convert is well meaning but too intellectual and clueless about the culture she has chosen until she finds a man and gets pregnant, at which point she is still ineffectual but content. There are also a couple of genie women, but they are relegated to either sleeping with Alif or helping him get to the next plot point. I can't find much to enjoy in this perspective of women.
Moving on! I think this book is probably seen as more ground-breaking for those who haven't read much SF/F. There are jinn and magic, which I found interesting but not incredibly original, and the computer part of the book just seemed like nonsense. I don't know much about programming or hacking, but I get the feeling that the author knows even less than I do.
I think that the author has some interesting things to say about information and communication. Living in the USA, I suppose I'm entirely too complacent about how I surf the net, whether or not my data is protected and if I'm being spied upon. I suppose that's because I live in a free society and don't fear the government. Alif's country is quite different, and the thought that anyone could be picked up at any time for going to the wrong site or posting the wrong thing is chilling. There's even a passage in the book where a character says of Westerners that "they'll get theirs, and they won't even see it coming." With the latest news about the NSA and Snowden, maybe we're there. But it seems to all be going away without much changing, so maybe we've taken so much for granted that we're not even concerned about what's going on behind the scenes.
So, I'm not too enamoured of the book itself, its characters, world-building, or plot. The most interesting thing about it is the thoughts about information, freedom, and what it means to have a revolution.