March InvisibleCities Wrap Up

 March 2021: Invisible Cities Wrap Up

Iraq

Forgive me if my memory of the two novels that I read during the month of March for #InvisibleCities is hazy, I am writing this a few months after the fact. You will find out in my next post why my wrap-ups and discussions for #InvisibleCities have been delayed by a few months, for now let's discuss the books I read in March from Iraq. In the month of March I completed two novels for this project, Frankenstein in Baghdad, and The Book of Collateral Damage. 

Frankenstein in Baghdad by: Ahmed Saadawi, Translated by: Jonathan Wright

This novel is a re-imagining of the classic tale, Frankenstein by: Mary Shelley, set in the streets of Baghdad during the Iraq war. As a premise this is intriguing and appeared to make shocking social commentary on the destruction of war, however as a novel I feel this fell short. The premise and themes were executed well, however, where this novel fell short for me was in the character development. Many of you will know that I need to know my characters intimately in order to become immersed in any novel, sadly this one did not deliver. The characters were developed only as a vehicle to move the discussion forward about the destructiveness of war. Our main character is depicted as a remorseful creator of "the creature" though we see little more of his personality than pertains directly to creating the "monster". The secondary characters in my opinion felt as though they were archetypes being used to facilitate the narrative, rather than fully fleshed individuals we as the reader come to know. The story portrays the drunk, the junk collector, the old mournful widow/mother, the creator, and "the creature". The creature arguably is the character that we as the reader become most acquainted with, this is due to large portions of the second half of the novel being told through his perspective. In seeing the creature's dilemma with enacting revenge, and killing to maintain his physical self an interesting case can be made for the necessity of destruction, though I wish we would have seen the entire novel through the creature's point of view. 

Regardless of the character development, the depth of discussion surrounding the themes is rewarding and worthwhile reading this book. If you are looking for an interesting and engaging retelling of the classic tale by Shelley, then this novel would be perfect. Personally I am not always a fan of retellings because the plot often feels worn and predictable, these feelings certainly impacted my reading experience of this novel. Seeing the following words on the jacket copy gave me all the information I needed to draw conclusions about the novel's intentions, unfortunately making the reading experience feel less exciting, Iraq, war, Frankenstein, destruction. Overall this was an enjoyable read, the prose was easy to follow, the translation did not leave me feeling as though I missed anything from the original text, the themes are important and approached in a sensitive and thorough manner, I simply wish the characters were developed more so that the novel felt complete rather than a creative thought experiment on the detriment of war using archetypal characters. 

Star Rating: 3/5

GoodReads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36657860-frankenstein-in-baghdad 

The Book of Collateral Damage by: Sinan Antoon, Translated by: Jonathan Wright

It is pure coincidence that these books are both translated by the same person, however this is a testament to the translator's versatility. This novel was everything that I hoped Frankenstein in Baghdad  would be and more! This novel has a complex narrative structure, flawed and fully realized characters, strong and socially relevant themes, and engaging prose. Due to the complex structure I will refrain from discussing the plot for this novel in depth. In short, the novel follows our main character, an immigrant from Iraq who is a professor of Iraqi culture/history who returns to Iraq to act as a translator for a film crew documenting the destruction of the war in Iraq. The themes discussed include but are not limited to, grappling with one's identity, leaving home, the power of words, bearing witness to tragedy, friendship, and the destruction of war on people and their culture. The structure of this novel is one of many aspects that made it a five star reading experience. The structure alternates from first person accounts from our main character, epistolary sections, and sections from a fictional book being written to chronicle the atrocities occurring in Iraq due to war. The variety of points of view shows the depth of destruction and pain caused because of the war to all those with connections to Iraq, and allows for much needed character development. Each character we meet in this novel could be a real person that one meets while walking down the streets of Iraq, they are flawed, conflicted, and striving towards a greater purpose in life. Seeing their struggles I was able to connect with the characters and connect on an emotional level to the struggles and pain portrayed on the page. All in all this novel is a challenge structurally and emotionally, and does not shy away from difficult conversations regarding war, however, I believe because of these challenges and unflinching conversations every reader should try this. Readers in the US will get a shocking view into the reality of war in Iraq and how it negatively impacts citizens who have nothing to do with the fighting, it is a harrowing but necessary experience. 

Star Rating: 5/5 

GoodReads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51871451-the-book-of-collateral-damage 

This was a difficult month to read about, knowing that the country I call home has caused so much destruction and hardship for innocent people caught in the crossfire of war in Iraq. Logically I knew that these costs were present, but reading from characters experiencing them even in a fictional capacity makes me think deeply about the "necessity" of war. I know sometimes it seems inevitable, though I would like to challenge politicians to find creative solutions, or mitigate impact on innocent citizens as much as possible. All in all this month opened my eyes to the impact of war on bystanders present in the same country being attacked.