A review by megea
The Attack by Yasmina Khadra

2.0

This is one of those books that you feel you have to like, or face criticism. "Oh, the themes are so important. The perspectives so valuable. The setup so thought provoking." That is undeniable. But isn't enough to make it good or enjoyable to read. And one perspective I could do without is the narrator's - at least, do without such an immersion in his inner monologue and tiresome perpetual present tense. His self-satisfaction at the beginning of the novel is insufferable. And he becomes more, and differently insufferable as he experiences a mental breakdown in response to the shock of his wife becoming a suicide bomber. But he never questions his choices, his self-satisfaction never wavers, it just gets joined by outrage. Yes, his station and personality are partly a trope to be leveraged by the Islamic rebels he pursues and debates to try to understand why his wife became a suicide bomber. And that is used effectively, though blatantly, as are the indignities routinely faced. Ultimately, the purpose of the novel seems to be to have an "important message," with everything in service to that, regardless of how tedious the devices become.