... from the war zone ...
I picked up this book from the new "Critic's Choice" section of the Independence Library (CLICK HERE). That new section is yet another reason why this branch is my favorite.
And I'm writing this prematurely, not having finished reading the book. But there's talk of more war in this week's news as our country and as the world are debating whether to move militarily against Syria. So I figured that now is the time to mention this story, as it gives a very personal account of what it's like to live in a society ravaged by war and state brutality.
The story is "Red Wine" by Egyptian author, Amina Zaydan. While the story is considered "fiction", its intensity leads me to feel it has to be largely autobiographical. The format of the story is a first person account by its main character, Suzie Mohamad Galal, as she tells the story of her life.
Right now I'm still in the first part of the book where she's recounting the events of her childhood, growing up in Egypt. The effects of war seem all the more tragic and devastating as we experience the tumult and upheaval through the eyes of a child.
The book is at once beautiful as well as jolting. Ms. Zaydan weaves a fascinating imagery, which, along with the forcefulness of the content, make me pause every few paragraphs. At the rate I'm going, I don't know if I'll ever reach the end.
"War" can be seen from several different standpoints in Ms. Zaydan's writing, not only as the war of military combat and state brutality, but also as the conflicts between genders and generations.
There's an enormous amount to experience, think about, and feel in Ms. Zaydan's writing, and most poignantly the effects of war on a family living right in a perpetual war zone.
The English edition of "Red Wine" was published in 2010 by The American University in Cairo Press. Here are their comments on "Red Wine" (CLICK HERE).
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