The Storyteller, Or, The Hakawati (2008)

Book Info

Author

Rabih Alameddine

Genre

Historical Fiction

Rating

3.95 of 5 Votes: 2

Your rating

ISBN

0330454471 (ISBN13: 9780330454476)

Language

English

Publisher

Picador USA

Shops

Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble

Read Online

About book The Storyteller, Or, The Hakawati (2008)

A cool concept that resulted in a well crafted, and enjoyable read. Stories are layered on top of stories and are weaved together to create an interesting narrative. Not all the stories were engaging but most were. This is a long book, but that is perhaps one of its positive traits. I really enjoyed the modern story arc and got tired of the one about Fatima but I saw another reviewer who had the exact opposite experience so I suppose readers must find out for themselves. For a fairly new "Arabphile" this was a fascinating read that included the background of a lot of Arab folklore you hear about all the time but know very little about if you don't grow up with the stories i.e. Hand of Fatima story, Leili and Mejnun and the Arab idea of the devil and hell. The Hakawati is beautifully written and each time the story switches from the "present" day story of a son returning to Lebanon back to the "storytelling" of his grandfather I found myself not able to wait to get back to the one I'd just finished. I was always wanting more and was sad when the book ended.