Alameddine's novel is a gorgeous feat of storytelling, weaving together Bible stories, folklore, fairy tales, mythology, and history, with a framing story set in Lebanon in 2003. Osama al-Kharrat is a middle-aged American returning to his home country to keep vigil at his father's bedside, along with all his siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and family friends. Osama's grandfather was a hakawati -- a professional storyteller -- and Osama has inherited his love of tales. As he waits for the inevitable he tells us stories, not just of his own family but of his country and culture. Alameddine's writing shines here. Stories are nested within stories, beginnings begin in unexpected areas, and the endings never really come. The language is by turns flowery, poetic, earthy, factual, ironic, and just plain funny. Easter eggs abound, such as the evil wizard King Kade, master of light. The result is a vibrant, lush, colorful patchwork that belies the stereotypes Americans have about the Middle East.
Alameddine depicts a pre-war Beirut that was once considered the Paris of the East. Europeans and Arabs, Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Druze were neighbors, friends, and lovers. The characters we meet value food, poetry, music, and above all family. Alameddine only glancingly depicts the civil war and the havoc it wreaked on the country, but I found it heartbreaking. And infuriating -- the fact that a handful of politicians and extremists can can so affect a populace that just wants to live its life is a depressing, all too common occurrence.
Fortunately, the realities of life are just a small element of the book. What matters is the story.
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