Book Review: Celestial Bodies By Jokha Alharthi 3 stars

 Last month I didn't read any translated work and I was pretty disappointed in myself.  August ia Women in Translation month, so I was sure I wanted to read something in translation. 

  A quick perusal of things available from my library brought me to Celestial Bodies. It won the Man Booker Prize in 2019, so I felt pretty sure that it would be at least well written, if not enjoyable. I also was fascinated that it was written by an Omani woman, about Oman, a country that I really could not even point out on a map. I was primed for an interesting read. 

Reading the blurb I was ready to get into a generational saga that allowed me a window into how society changed over decades on both a community and personal level.

What it felt like I got- Gossip Girl, but set in Oman.

Every chapter seemed to be the reporting on the troubles in someone's relationship, the ill advised choices of another, who was doing what with whom or for whom. This was interesting but jumbled up so that if there was an overarching message, I surely missed it.

Not bad, but...also very put-down-able.

Readers follow three sisters, as they are born, mature and marry.  We are present for each sister's  decisions, and the outcome of these choices.  Each sister takes a different path and the paths taken highlights a lot of the societal changes within Oman, and the world over the decades.  I was fascinated by the decisions and options available.  

What made this a difficult read for me was that there really was not a clear set of main characters. The sisters are given about as much attention as every other character in the book, including husbands, parents, aunts, cousins and notable community personalities. As readers travel through these women's lives it is additionally not a linear journey and the story dips and weaves in and out of the past in an unpredictable and dizzying way.  I often found myself reading along about the marriage of one sister, only to be plunged with no warning back to a flashback about the death of one of the husband's parents. In the end for me, I read this almost as a series of "slice of life" moments over time. 

  I have a strong feeling that the translation is very good, but that somehow in the translation the boney structure of the novel was lost and changed into sort of a dreamy, confusing mush. 

   I do think it's fantastic to have a novel from Oman for us to read and I do feel like I understood much more about the role of women, and how it seems to have changed in that country.  What I feel like I missed was a thread that held the work together, and a conclusion that would somehow bring all the different experiences into a sharp focus.  Soooooo for me,  although this book is a lot of firsts, and has a lot of good qualities, it was a three star read. Because of it's place in literature, I might still recommend as a book in translation from a culture that isn't widely represented in literature.  I would love to discuss this one more, and if the timeline wasn't so jostled I would have loved to recommend for Book club! 

STATS

First Published : October , 2019

Pages: 256

Available as an Audio Book :YES

Trigger Warnings: Death, blood, medical situations, violence, childbirth.

Not a full TW list, please read responsibly. 

Book Review: All The Rivers By Dorit Rabinyan 5/5 Stars

Choosing water as a theme for 2025  has REALLY  had me choosing some books I might not have read before. All the Rivers by Dorit Rabinyan probably would not have been on my list, but it SHOULD have been.  It should have been on my list in 2014 and it probably should be on your list also. Let me tell you all my reasons why! 

This novel ripped me apart emotionally and really opened up my thoughts.

All the Rivers is a bit like an onion there are so many layers. This book, written by an Israeli woman, has been banned in Israel for young persons as inappropriate content.  (for my US readers, that may sound a little bit familiar).

   The premise of the novel is a love story of Liat (an Israeli) and Helmi (an Arab)  who meet unexpectedly in NYC  and have a deep and passionate love affair. (the book itself, in case anyone is concerned- does not contain on page love scenes or anything of that sort). 

   The writing is really high quality, this is an infinitely readable novel, and although it doesn't have a plot of a typical romance (couple meets, falls in love, faces some challenges, reaffirms love with a Happy Ever after ending) , it draws the reader in to the story.   Having survived the brutal winter that I believe the author is referring to, I could deeply relate as she described the mountains of snow and ice and unending gray skies, as she and Helmi navigate a relationship that is overshadowed by the Middle Eastern Situation.  I felt drawn in and could relate to the life she and Helmi build for themselves. The fact that the writing was still excellent after translation speaks to the skill of Rabinyan and the translator Jessica Cohen. 

   While we explore Liat and Helmi's growing relationship- and the challenges it brings-  the reader is given space to think about and explore concepts of love, cultural identity, prejudice, family, sacrifice and more.  This isn't a true "Love conquers all" story, which makes it all the more attractive.  Liat struggles to not view Helmi as as "enemy", Helmi struggles with Liat's very strongly held beliefs, and neither is able to exactly put these parts of their identity aside in favor of their relationship.  It is indeed a wild dance where they are both it seems about to lose their balance and fall wildly into an ocean of chaos. In fact, I could barely put the book down because I had to know how it would end. 

I will tell you the ending shocked and surprised me and figuratively tore my heart right out of my chest. And after finishing, reading that it was based on a "true story"  I felt so much more sorrow.  But of course, I'm not going to tell anyone how this love affair plays out. 

This is an excellent read for persons interested in the current conflict in the Middle East, 

Folks wanting to read/support banned books, and those who are  interested in reading something that's well written, which will settle into your brain like a thick heavy snow. 

Let me know if you've read this book and what your thoughts were, or if you're going to be requesting it from the library! If you like this post, please share it, as it helps books - even books published some time ago- get discovered and rediscovered. 

STATS

First Published 2014

Pages: 288

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings:  death, war, inter-racial relationships, political conflict, family turmoil  

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)