Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
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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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
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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4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Be a Journalist! See interesting places! Write poor novels!, 18 Sep 2006
Hmmmm...maybe I ought to apoligise in advance. I don't know the author, nor do I write for a newspaper. I am not obliged in any way to write positively about this novel.
"Harbor" should have been good. Bits of it were. This is a novel of bits. In more skilled hands, these bits might have fitted together. However, this read like the second draft of something written in hurry (might make succesful journalism, but the novel ought strive to give a reader more). Adams is no William Faulkner. I understoof what she was attempting to do with this fragmented style, but a novel about confusion should not confuse. Why is the third person narration about these Algerians read like the lines of a B-movie Apache? Speech patterns and compulsive metaphors aside, our author seems to be very unsure of her own style.
This is not a bad novel. I read it all the way through...my interest was sustained. "Harbor" is a symptom of the publishing industry today, which is unwilling to take risks on authors who have invested time on writing powerful debut novels. The assumption exists that a journalist can self-edit (thus saving the publisher a bit of cash), and that they will write something relevent to these times (Zeitgeist, I believe they call it). "Harbor" doesn't need editting...it needs rewriting.
The idea behind fragmented novels is that they require more attention from the reader than a straight narrative. "Harbor" demanded some work form the reader, but gave no reward for patience.
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