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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Stunning, Provocative Story of Supposed Terrorists, 8 Sep 2004
Lorraine Adams has written a stunning novel of a young Algerian and his colleagues, and what the FBI thought was a terrorist cell. We learn how easy it is to turn the other cheek, and realize what we have thought all along may not be based in reality or in truth. Aziz, is a young man from Algeria, a stow away on a ship and escaped to America, the land of the free. He spends many days in the "hole". He jumps ship into Boston Harbor, dirty, frozen, and injured; he survives to find his way to his cousins and friends in East Boston. He speaks no English, has no authorization to be in the US, but he moves on. He learns to speak English, works hard at menial jobs to pay for food. He lives with friends, learns American customs and sends most of his money home to his family in Algeria. During this time, Aziz has flashbacks of his time in the Army. This horrific experience of brutality and violence in the Algerian Army. He cannot forget although he tries. We learn a little of his family. His brother Mourad comes to Boston. He comes legally and obtains a great job with Security at Logan Airport. Several of Aziz's Algerian friends that live with him are into illegal works, selling contraband cigarettes and passports. The FBI is notified about these friends via another Algerian trying to save his hide. The FBI looks into these charges and find out about some of the illegal activities and try and arrest one of the men,Ghazi. He escapes and alerts his friends, and they all disperse to different areas. Aziz goes to New York and finds it not as welcoming. He is lonely but again he manages to build relationships. Ghazi, goes to Canada; becomes involved in the false passport business and makes a lot of money. When it is safe to go home to Boston, he flies on American Airlines. After some difficulty, Aziz also returns to Boston. The brothers, Mourad and Aziz settle down in their old apartment; all the other friends have left. Life seems simpler, but things are not right. Trouble is on the horizon. In the novel, "Harbor" we learn misunderstandings and cultural stereotypes can help make a story of people trying to survive turn into a suspected terrorist plan of attack. The people involved and under suspicion, Aziz, Mourad and Ghazi and Heather, the southern American girl who becomes part of their lives, are innocent parties of this supposed terrorist plan. This all takes place before 9-11, but we can see how this little bit of information piled upon more misinformation can be turned into a horror story. A poor young man from an Arabian country arrives illegally in America. He builds a life and we learn a little something about this life, and then the story becomes that of terrorism. How fair is our land of the free? We need to ask ourselves, "How fair and just are we to those who are not born to this country?" I wonder. Where is the thin line between looking at someone as a terrorist, and looking at someone in a neutral manner. Marvelous first novel for Lorraine Adams- kudos. How was she able to capture the essence of these people?
Highly recommended. prisrob
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Algerian politics and polystyrene cups, 19 Sep 2006
When Aziz, an Algerian stowaway, arrives in Boston, he speaks no English, has spent 52 days in the hold of a tanker, has major injuries to his feet and only the memorized phone number of his cousin Rafik, already illegally resident in the US, on which to focus. As his story unfolds, and his history is played out in flashbacks, his small contingent of fellow aliens fractures and reforms, all under the inept yet watchful eye of US government agencies.
This is the oft unheard voice of a growing minority in the US, and is thoughtfully played out without resorting to tired stereotype, and with a deft touch and character development that must owe much to Adams' past as an investigative reporter. The book highlights the problems in Algeria, and is not afraid to take on the arrogance inherent in Western attitudes to Islam - it's a cert to feature on the Guardian First Book Award shortlist.
However, with no prior knowledge of North African history and politics, many of the layers underneath the simple suface story are obfuscated, and too often the prose is stilted and static. The initial tension bleeds away rather too rapidly, and characters with the potential to enliven a most unthrilling thriller all too often disappear without impact.
Promsing, but I believe an occidental audience will only pay attention to this out of liberal guilt. A French readership will be far more receptive. But it's still inconsistent and patchy, and I hope for more from her next novel.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Highly recommended, 4 Aug 2006
The previous reviewer thoughtlessly reveals far too much of the story in the first sentence. Then selfishly reveals the entire plot in the completed review. Reviews are read to discover if a book is worth reading, or not. What is it about? Is it well written? Was it enjoyed? So many Amazon reviewers seem to feel a duty, or a need, to summarise the plot, ruining enjoyment for other readers and surely reducing author royalties - and then somehow believe that they have written a 'review'.
Harbor is an entertaining, thoughtful and original story. A difficult subject is brought to life with insight into characters that most of us know little about. The story takes us into the lives of people with terrible, unreported lives, without sentimentality, but with understanding and compassion. The writing has the immediate style of a thriller. It's a page-turner that I found hard to put down and couldn't wait to return to. Far too much of the plot has been revealed by other contributors, so I'll just say that 'Harbor' can be treated as an excellent, entertaining read and/or an insight into the precarious existence of illegal immigrants from war torn Algeria. Recommended.
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