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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rumi in California, August 8, 2003
Abandon is a novel that explores the results of mixing ancient mysticism with the rootless, multicultural modern world. This topic is also the subject of much of Pico Iyer's nonfiction, such as Video Night in Kathmandu and The Global Soul (I have read and highly recommend the latter). Iyer chooses Sufism, and the poet Rumi in particular to represent tradition in this somewhat dialectical novel. The opposing force, which consists of perpetual newness and impermanence is represented mainly by California, which Iyer sees almost mythically (as do many who arrive there from far away places). Abandon, of course, is (according to the cover) a romance, not a sociological treatise. However, in many respects, the romance takes a back seat to the more abstract questions which the book pursues. The rather star-crossed lovers of the novel are John Macmillan, an English graduate student living in California to study Sufism and Camilla, an enigmatic young woman who appears and disappears from John's life. Iyer makes a good choice in making Rumi John's specialty. For this Persian mystical poet is, according to the book, currently America's best selling poet; this is not hard to believe if you visit any large bookstore, not to mention any metaphysical or new age bookstore. This juxtapositioning of a mystical tradition that is steeped in introspection and mystery with modern mass culture is intrinsically bizarre, and Iyer takes this as his starting point for a rather bizarre love story. Camilla appears in John's life apparently at random, drawing him in with her contradictory need for and fear of intimacy. I have to confess that at times I found this part of the story annoying. John and Camilla repeat virtually the same scenes over and over many times; they become close then they part; they come together again and then quarrel for no good reason. Then they make up until Camilla becomes frightened again and leaves...Of course, many unhealthy relationships follow this kind of pattern. John and Camilla's interactions, however, are supposed to convey something much deeper than a mere dysfunctional relationship; I assume that John's ambivalent pursuit of Camilla is meant to mirror the Sufi's longing for God. Towards the end, this is actually illustrated quite nicely. The presentation of Sufism, the mystical sect of Islam, is also quite informative and interesting. There are numerous examples of Sufi poetry.There is also much international travel to places as diverse as Damascus, India, Paris and, finally to the heart of Sufism, Iran. John is lured to these places in search of ancient Sufi manuscripts which may or may not actually exist. All of this is fascinating, as are Iyer's ruminations on California as a place where people without roots seek new beginnings. What I most admired about this novel is what I perceived as a synthesis between the opposing forces of tradition and modernism (or postmodernism). At first, it seems that true Sufism is completely incompatible with modern life, and California in particular. John's adviser, for example, is a severe Iranian named Sefadhi who seems to embody the conservatism of ancient traditions like Islam. Yet John discovers something Sefadhi had written in his youth which reveals another side to the man. John similarly learns more about Camilla that makes her more understandable. The novel may be suggesting that the true spirit of Sufism (which can also be considered the search for God or wholeness, however you may define it) can be found anywhere and perhaps especially in those places where it is least expected.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Challenge yourself!, June 18, 2003
By A Customer
"The very nature of the investigation ... compels us to travel over a wide field of thought criss-cross in every direction. Thus this book is really only an album." - Ludwig Wittgenstein Iyer's new novel is a meditative work that challenges the reader to discover for him/herself the pattern that connects it all together. Form follows function. "The most interesting part of a story is the part we don't see at first, where all the clues are hidden." Yes, Camilla is annoying, but she is supposed to be! More than that, Iyer has lured his audience ("the blondes in the back row") with Sufism, when his real subject lies elsewhere. If you open yourself to Iyer's unique vision, you might be surprised where it leads. Iyer is a true "global soul" who projects the undercurrents of our times. Highly recommended to all poets and seekers. Caveat: the dialogue between the lovers is too uneven to give this book 5 stars.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Much ado about nothing, March 20, 2004
John Macmillan is a scholar, writing his thesis on Sufi poetry, in particular the Islamic mystic Rumi, at UC Santa Barbara. The thesis must be completed before his return to England, but the work is proceeding well for this dedicated scholar, who travels at the behest of his thesis advisor. Just returning from India, John is caught in the web of intrigue surrounding Camilla Jensen, a young woman of contradictory traits, whom he meets when delivering a package to her. He is romantically involved with a woman in London, but chooses to ignore this reality as he spends more time with Camilla. The insipid Camilla is more the product of a male-dominated culture than the author's "New-Age" description indicates. Her behavior both attracts and repels Macmillan. Against his better judgment, he is drawn to Camilla's fragile unpredictability and the glimpses of passion she exhibits. In point of fact, she is dependent, childish and singularly unattractive. The romance is hopelessly pedestrian. Iyer writes with confidence about foreign countries, Islam, Rumi and the shadowy Sufis as Macmillan does Professor Sefhadi's bidding; the professor is, after all, his mentor and necessary to the completion of the thesis. At the professor's request, Macmillan travels to India, Spain and Iran, where he has conversations about manuscripts that may or may not be in circulation. Yet everything in this book is vague, indirect; conversations are purposefully ambiguous, correspondence filled with inconsistencies, as though Macmillan thrives on misdirection. I find myself discomfited, as though I can't trust the author to be truthful. The relationship between Camilla and John may serve as a metaphor for Macmillan's search for the essence of Sufism, the letting go of self, "being" the experience. But it is unclear whether Macmillan is the professor's pawn, Camilla's fool or a man more comfortable with mystery than with answers. Altough not as impressive as the ubiquitous Rumi, common usage would suggest that "water seeks its own level". Simple, perhaps, but in this case, appropriate. Sacrificing himself on the altar of dysfunction, Macmillan is not grasping Heaven with his new lover; rather he is dancing merrily along the precipice of Hell. Luan Gaines/2004.
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