Wednesday 9 March 2011

Peep into "The Yacoubian Building"

I took up the challenge of reading 100 books in a year, and now, after 2.5 months, I have just managed to complete 1 book.  Isn't that pathetic?


Now this means, for me to achieve the target, I have to finish 99 books, which work out to 9 books in a month!  Greedy me! Shouldn't have gone for this challenge.  Time and S doesn’t allow me to pursue this.

Ok! let’s not waste time in ranting.  Over to the review!!



First published in 2004 in Arabic, The Yacoubian Building is the work of Egyptian author Alaa al Aswany, a dentist by profession.  

I chose this book when I was planning a trip to Cairo– thought a book like this will give me a great feel towards the city! But after seeing the riots, I quit my plan of going there – not for the next few years!! 

This book focuses mainly on the residents of the Yacoubian building, a once chic but now tumbledown edifice that acts as a metaphor for Cairo (even now this building exist!!). Author has poignantly laced down each character and their story along with the frustrations of their society at large. 

There is not just one protagonist in this book.  Every character he describes is a protagonist.

Zaki el Dessouki is one of the leading characters, an aging aristocrat, seducer, who spends his days in his office in the Yacoubian Building.  As he gets isolated from people around him, he finds his true love. He forms a surprising connection that offers a hopeful turn.

Yet other intriguing character is Taha, who wants to be a police officer, but his modest antecedents deprive him of a place in the academy. He was strongly in love with his childhood sweet heart Busayna.  Things take a great change during the Gulf war, and it completely changes life of Taha, after a whirlwind of emotional and physical abuse.

Busayna, a beautiful girl who gets trapped in unfortunate situations. As a sole bread winner of the family, Busayna takes up all the jobs and ends up becoming the victim of sexual exploitation.

Hatim, an editor of a French language daily newspaper, an open homosexual in the society.  And the way author had handled homosexuality in this book is truly a taboo-breaking kind in the contemporary Arab literature. 

The story is not about these 4 people, but it revolves around a few more powerful characters. The best thing about this book is the way the story was written.  

It's like a mosaic, moving smoothly one after another with multiple narratives tracing the ordinary lives of its protagonists,  each of whom is in a unique way a victim of their own circumstances.

It took me 4 weeks to read through the first 50 pages of this book and 2 days to finish the rest. So many layers and roles, intersecting rather than interwoven lives, restricted in scope but rich in detail.  

And the book does offers more than a glimpse of Egyptian society. In exploring how each character responds to the failures and frustrations imposed by external forces, Aswany touches on the finer aspects of truly empathizing with one another. 

There are some loose-ends in this book, a few characters were disappeared at the end, and there were no logical ending . The conclusion of the story was not entirely fulfilling, but fascinating, and definitely urges you to reach the end of the book!!  

Overall the complex narrative and view of the city of Cairo made this an engaging book!!

Rating: 3/5



15 comments:

  1. Does a book need to have minimum size?

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  2. All of us, in our unique ways, are a victim of circumstances! That's a part of the eternal cycle... The interweaving of multiple character stories is always a tough job, and I appreciate the writers who can do it while still sustaining the interest of the readers...

    Destination Infinity

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  3. Hi Vaish!

    It's been ages now when we exchanged comments... seems both of us had been busy :)

    U know I just love this review, becoz it's not too factual, not so matter of factly! You have given an insight in the book, through ur perception... your thoughts are very much ingrained it it, so I like it really! and it really seems to be a very intersting book!

    btw,the intersection of four lives... well reminded me of a movie review I wrote about "Dhobi ghat'... did u read it??

    And, yes, it's huge target 100 books in a year :) The joy is not in the destination but the journey... so enjoy your readings... and don't bother much about the target thing... and as it is quality matters not quantity.

    take care

    RESTLESS

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  4. Btw, did u read Eat, Pray Love... read it dear, u'll like it!

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  5. thanks for the review. Migth read it for the complex characters and multiple narrative bit ! 9 books in a month wow ! all the best !

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  6. I got so many books to read my oh my .. will add this also to the list as and when i get to it

    Bikram's

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  7. Oh my....99 books more to read huh ??? Thats tough for me...anyway, u do it and my best wishes for that... :)

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  8. 99 books!!! wow thats a huge num. good luck with dat.
    This one sounds interesting. Quite different from usual reads.

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  9. @A - Well, there is no min or max page in a book! But I took this challenge to start reading again!

    @DI - yes true sometimes...but it we who choose or not choose to become a victim in any given situation...Yeah..i like the multi-character and layers in the story, and I enjoy reading them :)

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  10. @ RS - yes...haven't been too regular to blogs these days and I still have too many unread posts sitting and staring in my reader! God knows when I wll finish them :(
    Have read your Dhobi-ghat review..The 4 characters I've mentioned are just samples. But there are plenty other characters in this.
    True RS...I took this challenge to merely improve and to start back to the routine reading practise which I lost months back. So, whether I make 100 books or not, doesn't count. As long as I keep reading :)

    I've read EAt, Love and Pray and have seen the movie too! That's a great book right?

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  11. @ Ruchi - don't say wow now...i have just done with 1..And I really don't think I will make 9 books a month..lets c if I make atleast 9 a year :)
    I'm getting pathetic with my book reading these days...find no time.

    @ Bik - yes..it's a nice read..especially if you are interested in knowing about other country's culture!

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  12. @ Ums - he he..Uma..I can't do it too :)
    As I said in my previous comment, lets see if I complete 9 books a year!!

    @ Raji - Thanks Raji..yes...it's a good but not great!

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  13. Dear Vaish,
    Good Morning!
    Don't look at the number 100!It looks huge!erase the right side 0 and now it si 10.Again erase 0 and now it is just 1.You fonished one!Great!Give a pat from my side!
    I keep book to be read on my bed!Without reading,I can't go to sleep.
    Make 2 books a week!More holidays,more books!
    You can and you will!
    My Amma's five books have been published!
    Very good book review!
    Wishing you a beautiful day ahead,
    Sasneham,
    Anu

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  14. Oh I would love to read this book, thanks Vaish, I will check in my library. Btw, been to Cairo, and it is very nice, though I have to confess that I liked the quiet and peaceful Nile trip far better than busy bustling Cairo :-)

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  15. @ Vaish, yeah that's a very nice book. esp women will love it.

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