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A review by whysoserious
I, The Divine: A Novel in First Chapters by Rabih Alameddine
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
Intriguing concept that failed in execution. The 1st chapter element seemed a take gimmicky, especially when the author veered off from that type of narrative toward the end. The story was reasonable, highlighting sense of individuality versus culture, loneliness versus family ties. Whilst I liked some aspects of the novel it could have easily been 50 pages shorter and been better off for it.
I did enjoy the fact it was written from the perspective of a Lebanese female which is certainly not something I would normally opt to read (even though the author was, surprisingly, male). That said Sarah (the protagonist) almost allows her family and her life to take over and she gets whisked away passively with little resistance. I did not feel a huge amount of sympathy/empathy for her and found her best friend much more engaging and relatable.
The story brings together multi-culturalism, a desire to find ones own identity and this was nicely woven through without being over powering. It is particularly interesting given how sense of identity is a constant theme in today's world of BLM, colonialism, generational trauma and the like. I must admit I could have done without the rape scene and this was clearly written by a man, there was a strong absence of empathy in the exploration of that event in Sarah's life.
There was no real resolution to the novel - the ending just sort of happened. That is fine but some may find such an ending a disappointment.
All in al it was a reasonably quick read, a tad gimmicky and didn't get the execution it really deserved. Distinctly average but a decent read if you find it in a second hand store.
I did enjoy the fact it was written from the perspective of a Lebanese female which is certainly not something I would normally opt to read (even though the author was, surprisingly, male). That said Sarah (the protagonist) almost allows her family and her life to take over and she gets whisked away passively with little resistance. I did not feel a huge amount of sympathy/empathy for her and found her best friend much more engaging and relatable.
The story brings together multi-culturalism, a desire to find ones own identity and this was nicely woven through without being over powering. It is particularly interesting given how sense of identity is a constant theme in today's world of BLM, colonialism, generational trauma and the like. I must admit I could have done without the rape scene and this was clearly written by a man, there was a strong absence of empathy in the exploration of that event in Sarah's life.
There was no real resolution to the novel - the ending just sort of happened. That is fine but some may find such an ending a disappointment.
All in al it was a reasonably quick read, a tad gimmicky and didn't get the execution it really deserved. Distinctly average but a decent read if you find it in a second hand store.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape