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A review by jerihurd
Otto mesi a Ghazzah Street by Hilary Mantel
3.0
Subtitle: Some People Should Just Stay Home
Interesting plot, but the general tenor of the book was pretty much the usual "western values confronts the Muslim world and is horrified" ridiculousness. While Mantel makes a token attempt to show her ex-pats are just as rigid in their evaluations of "The Other," the bulk of her story relies on the tired, victimized women trope. And, of course, all sorts of evil-skulduggery ultimately justifies the narrator's euro-centric paranoia.
I caught myself comparing this (unfavorably) to Forster's excellent Passage to India, and wondering if Mantel was attempting a modern version.
Interesting plot, but the general tenor of the book was pretty much the usual "western values confronts the Muslim world and is horrified" ridiculousness. While Mantel makes a token attempt to show her ex-pats are just as rigid in their evaluations of "The Other," the bulk of her story relies on the tired, victimized women trope. And, of course, all sorts of evil-skulduggery ultimately justifies the narrator's euro-centric paranoia.
I caught myself comparing this (unfavorably) to Forster's excellent Passage to India, and wondering if Mantel was attempting a modern version.