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A review by bgg616
The Submission by Amy Waldman
5.0
The Submission was published 10 years after 9/11. It imagines a competition for a national memorial at Ground Zero with the winning design being by a Muslim-American architect Mohammed (Mo) Khan. Khan immigrated with his parents as a child from India, grew up in a fairly secular middle class way, and got his architecture degree at Yale. He works for a very successful architectural firm with an international reputation, and enters the competition almost on a whim.
When the jurors who selected his design discover the architect is Muslim, they are stunned into a temporary paralysis. The group is chaired by Paul Rubin, and populated with various “artistic types”, with a single representative of families of victims, the wealthy widow Claire Burwell. While the committee tries to sit on news of their choice, it is leaked, unleashing a firestorm of protest both nationally and internationally. Opposition to the choice of Khan, and support for his right to be selected. The controversy occupies most of the novel. While it is hard to imagine how this premise could sustain over 300 pages, it doesn’t feel drawn out. This is due primarily to the character of Mo Khan. He is inflexible, infuriating in his refusal to answer questions about his design, inspiration, religiosity, aspirations, etc. The range of reactions to him across the world are unpredictable, and in this novel as complicated as real life responses.
There is an infuriating tabloid reporter who serves her purpose, and just managed not to be too annoying. Perhaps the most sympathetic character is Asma Anwar, a Bangladeshi woman, and new mother, who lost her husband in the attack. She is Muslim, and they are undocumented. She is also a very intelligent woman, although she speaks no English, is quite young, and lives secluded within the Bangladeshi, Bengali-speaking community in New York. There are a number of jingoistic characters, who may have seemed pure inventions when this book was published in 2011. However, in the past few months of the 2016 Presidential race, we have been exposed repeatedly to outrageous statements and xenophobic charges from one of the candidates. I felt that this was a very relevant book and one for our current climate. Waldman did not overuse her artistic license in creating the characters with the most reactionary points of view. Nor do her liberal characters hit any false notes.
The novel has its shortcomings. At time the writing and phrasing is gorgeous, and occasionally it seems a bit forced. Some of the characters’ motivations weren’t sufficiently clear including the widow on the jury, Claire Burwell. On the other hand, the complexities of the dilemma were presented in a convincing and thought-provoking way. It is a book I believe I will think about for some time. For that reason it merits 4.5 stars from me which I am bumping up to 5.
When the jurors who selected his design discover the architect is Muslim, they are stunned into a temporary paralysis. The group is chaired by Paul Rubin, and populated with various “artistic types”, with a single representative of families of victims, the wealthy widow Claire Burwell. While the committee tries to sit on news of their choice, it is leaked, unleashing a firestorm of protest both nationally and internationally. Opposition to the choice of Khan, and support for his right to be selected. The controversy occupies most of the novel. While it is hard to imagine how this premise could sustain over 300 pages, it doesn’t feel drawn out. This is due primarily to the character of Mo Khan. He is inflexible, infuriating in his refusal to answer questions about his design, inspiration, religiosity, aspirations, etc. The range of reactions to him across the world are unpredictable, and in this novel as complicated as real life responses.
There is an infuriating tabloid reporter who serves her purpose, and just managed not to be too annoying. Perhaps the most sympathetic character is Asma Anwar, a Bangladeshi woman, and new mother, who lost her husband in the attack. She is Muslim, and they are undocumented. She is also a very intelligent woman, although she speaks no English, is quite young, and lives secluded within the Bangladeshi, Bengali-speaking community in New York. There are a number of jingoistic characters, who may have seemed pure inventions when this book was published in 2011. However, in the past few months of the 2016 Presidential race, we have been exposed repeatedly to outrageous statements and xenophobic charges from one of the candidates. I felt that this was a very relevant book and one for our current climate. Waldman did not overuse her artistic license in creating the characters with the most reactionary points of view. Nor do her liberal characters hit any false notes.
The novel has its shortcomings. At time the writing and phrasing is gorgeous, and occasionally it seems a bit forced. Some of the characters’ motivations weren’t sufficiently clear including the widow on the jury, Claire Burwell. On the other hand, the complexities of the dilemma were presented in a convincing and thought-provoking way. It is a book I believe I will think about for some time. For that reason it merits 4.5 stars from me which I am bumping up to 5.