Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A great subject but a mediocre plot, 25 Sep 2006
I had high hopes for this book, particularly when its early chapters put in place a number of strong elements - Ahmad, the loner Muslim youth; Jack, the over-the-hill Jewish school counsellor who begins an affair with Terry, Ahmad's Catholic mother; Jack's sister-in-law, a Christian, who works in the Department of Homeland Security. Updike tracks Ahmad's radicalization by a Muslim cleric, against Jack's concern for Ahmad's future and his burgeoning affair with Terry.
Unfortunately, the plotting never changes gear, and, while you appreciate the writing style, the leaden pacing causes the second half of the book to be less compelling than the first. The climax is particularly faulty, in that Jack's final collision with Ahmad seems to miss a lot of great dramatic opportunities.
I think this is a great subject for a literary novel, and Updike clearly wanted the novel to be about its characters and the clash of religions rather than to be a genre thriller. I admire him for that, but I felt in conclusion that he was probably the wrong man for the job.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Work of Imagination That Doesn't Ring True, 29 Aug 2006
After every attack on the United States, waves of paranoia have swept the nation. If we go back through these attacks since the American Revolution, we find a consistent history though that those who were born in the country that did the attacking but live in the U.S. are loyal to America. In part the paranoia builds because politicians and the media make hay from such fears. Eventually, everyone calms down and sees their fear is exaggerated.
As I read John Updike's book, I kept thinking that this was a book designed to explain what doesn't appear to be the case . . . a native-born American becoming a terrorist who follows Islamic beliefs to pursue Jihad. From the beginning, the premise didn't ring true. And the story itself rang even less true.
If you can get past that point, you still have to deal with Mr. Updike trying to describe something that's very different from his own cultural experiences. Mr. Updike seems to have worked hard at it, but again his depictions of the characters don't ring true to me.
Here's the story in a nutshell. A young man, Ahmad Ashmaway Mulloy, decides to identify with his absent father's Egyptian heritage while being raised by his round-heeled Irish-American mother with whom he doesn't feel very connected or comfortable. The identity becomes centered on practicing Islam. At the local mosque, he's encouraged to stop his education after high school to become a truck driver. Depressed guidance counselor, Jack Levy, tries to dissuade Ahmad, but only succeeds in becoming his mother's lover. Ahmad is introduced to the Chehab family, whose furniture store needs a new driver. Pretty soon, he's being sounded out for his feelings about Jihad. In the background, he has an ineffective attempt to become friends with a young African-American woman, Joryleen Grant, whose boyfriend and protector, Tylenol, is on Ahmad's case. Jack's sister-in-law is high in the Homeland Security apparatus which provides a "How are we going to stop them?" perspective to story.
Ironically, the best parts of the book involve quoting from the Qur'an and describing Ahmad's reactions to the passages. The next best parts come in the occasional uses of humor, such as when Charlie Chehab decides to call Ahmad, "Madman."
But if you want to scare yourself about native-born Americans joining up with al-Qaeda, this is your book.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Patchy...but the good patches reveal Updike can still hit the highs, 12 Sep 2006
The publication of a new Updike novel used to create a tingle of anticipation, kindling memories of his ability to reduce the most basic social interactions and biological processes (sexual intercourse qualifying on both counts) to the most insightful and compelling prosaic form.
Over the years I've lost that sensation as it has given way to the realisation that this great author's best works are behind him.
Nonetheless, Rabbit has made me a fan for life and so whilst I raced for this new novel, I did so really just for old times' sake.
In "Terrorist" there are plenty reminders of his powers: plotting the scenes with his usual careful portraiture; setting up and executing sexual encounters with real poise and, unusually, some discretion; and producing social commentary which would grace the work of the best contemporary columnists.
His imaginings of the workings of the terrorists he describes does, though, seem to ring hollow in much the same way as his description of the future seemed unconvincing in "Toward the End of Time", but not to the extent that the overall credibility of the book is impaired. And, in contrast, in Jack Levy we have a fine depiction of a tired, late middle-aged man reacting too late to the confinement of his domestic and professional environment. In fact, our introduction to Levy's situation is classic Updike. As we witness his hero's pre-dawn anguish we are treated to a wonderful passage of prose which leaves us with no choice but to root for him for the remainder of the book.
There are shades of the similarily-timed set-piece which Ian McEwan used to introduce us to his lead, Perowne, in "Saturday", a contrast which serves to illustrate and confirm (at least between the two novelists) McEwan's often-quoted remark that Updike is the finest contemporary English-language writer.
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