Life has definitely become too hectic when I have to wait till I go on holiday before I actually sit down and read a book .Luckily enough I got the chance to be in that pleasant unhectic state this last weekend.When I got tired of staring at starry skies and beautiful mountains I sat in my room and read. I was not expecting that much ,as I had picked up this book in some airport book store just because it had a kind of Arab /desi vibe to it , the title being ALIF and the author(G.Willow Wilson) I remembered was some kind of American and convert to Islam. Much to my surprise it turned out to be one of the best books I have read in a long time and I read a lot, quite a lot.
The story is a beautifully written mixture of religion and fiction, like Harry Potter for Muslims, actually not even Muslims just desis. The story revolves around a young, disillusioned computer hacker who goes by the alias ALIF. Alif is a genius (of course) and provides protection for various rebels in the cyber verse of the small emirate he lives in. Half Indian, half Arab he is the classic loner living a life of glamour on line, till he connects with the rich, bored Intesar who is writing a thesis. Through her and his friend Deena he begins an amazing adventure involving the unseen world of genii and demons. Intesar comes into possession of a book called the Alif Yeom , a book very much like the famous Alif layla (1001 nights)but written by the unseen or jinn in Islamic mythology. The power of this book has not been understood for hundreds of years but the head of the state’s electronic security force, nicknamed “the hand of God” thinks this will unleash a new level of information technology and is relentless in his pursuit.
I admit to being a bit of lit snob and have been known to put a book aside right I the middle of a good story if the prose got clumsy or the story lost its integrity ( I’m look at you: The Book Thief by Markus Zusac). I also hate depressing stuff, yes I know there are bad things in life but books with titles like “the inheritance of Loss” make me run a mile even if they please the Man Booker prize committee. I suppose I am that unwanted soda bubble that makes you snort coca cola out of your nose in polite company just when you need to make an impression. I will not be depressed, not if I can help it. So a lot of books simply do not reach my self appointed, high in the sky criteria but this one certainly did. Firstly it is elegantly written. By elegant I mean like a well derived mathematical equation not the desi definition which means less dabka work on a suite than usual. The writer is authentically knowledgeable about her subject: that strange mix of Pakistani /Indian /Hindu /Muslim /Arab and Westerner that inhabit the Middle East. The slang, the attitudes and even the swear words are genuine. I suppose the story is truly original and a kind of mini fable for the Arab Spring.
I simply loved the way the legends of the east are combined. Vikram the vampire was perhaps my favourite character after that, Deena the gutsy niqabi girl. There is a lot of fantasy but really the strength of the book is it all seems plausible. So if you enjoyed Harry Potter or even The Name of the Rose, (and even if you didn’t) this is one book you should give a try
Written By Sadaf
