Customer Reviews

Chicago: A Novel

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I must say I had the wrong impression of this book from reading the product description. I was afraid this book was going to be something a bit tawdry and maybe even a little harlequinesque because the description focused quite a bit on the sex aspects of this book. Instead the book was a powerful look at people from different backgrounds coming into contact with vastly different personalities sometimes making connections and other times crashing into one another altering their lives forever. The sex in the book was integral to the plot and was anything but tawdry or gratuitous. Sex is a central aspect of all our lives and the author uses sex as a vehicle to expose greater truths about ourselves in intimate detail.

One thing that amazes me (although it really shouldn't) is how much I relate to some of the Egyptian characters in this novel that come from conservative religious backgrounds. Coming from a conservative southern Baptist background myself I find myself surprised to be relating with characters from a different religion and different cultures. For me this is simply more evidence that we are not anywhere near as different as we sometimes imagine we are.

The plot centers on Chicago University Histology department, and the author uses different narrative techniques to tell his characters stories. His transitions between characters is very fluid, and his use of the first person narrative with one character gives the book a deeper intimacy than the it would have had written solely in the third person. The transitions are what really moves the book forward and gives it a dramatic feel. The author chooses highly dramatic moments for his paragraph breaks and character transitions which leaves the reader wanting more. I had a hard time putting the book down at times because I wanted to find out what happened to one character or another. I really love when an author is able to employ this technique effectively which this author has done.

The author does an excellent job juxtaposing the old guard with the next generation as it comes up in the same world they once came up in. The old Egyptian emigrants stand in stark contrast to the idealism and optimism of the younger generation coming to school under them. Each character seems to represent immigrant experience in different ways. You have the one character who disowns his Egyptian roots completely (or so he thinks) to become fully "Americanized" and cast off the "backwardness" of Egyptian society. Then there are those who feel they have betrayed their country and live guilt riddled lives. These characters tend to focus the reader in the almost completely cyclical nature of our lives as the young Egyptians idealism forces them down much the same paths of those who came before them.

I really hate when people discuss the ending of books, but I am going to finish by saying a little something about the end. I am going to be vague so as not to ruin anything, but if you are like me then I would stop reading now. The way the author was leading the book towards its conclusion I was afraid I was going to have to stomach a marshmallow, cushy ending that would have disappointed me greatly. Instead the author has a fabulous ending I really enjoyed, and that's all I will say.

I picked up this book because I was looking for some books by authors from this part of the world, and this book did not disappoint at all. It was a fun, dramatic and quick read. The characters were all engaging and forced you to care and read on. The translation was excellent, and now I have an author I am going to go back and read his earlier stuff and anything he writes in the future. I highly recommend this book.

This second novel by an acclaimed Egyptian journalist (and full-time dentist, apparently) is set in Chicago, Illinois. Which is, as most people reading this will know, a big city on the shores of Lake Michigan in North America. If you didn't know that, no problem. The author takes the first few pages of the book to give you a potted history of the city, complete with early genocides committed against the natives and the story of Mrs. O'Leary's cow.

That part is aimed, I guess, at readers in Cairo who might not have a strong notion of just where or what Chicago is. I mean, it doesn't seem to be presented in an ironic or particularly humorous way, or as a postmodern touch.

Thankfully the book moves on quickly to its main stories, a set of interlocking portraits of Egyptian students and emigres living in Chicago with their assorted spouses, lovers, and colleagues, some of whom are fellow emigres and some of whom are blonde or wear cowboy boots or whatever, and so are meant to represent native-born Americans. In superficial terms, then, this book resembles Zadie Smith's phenomenal "White Teeth," which deals with a group of Caribbean and South Asian emigres and native-born locals in a London suburb.

But Smith's novel is a masterpiece and already a classic, so it's probably not fair to make many comparisons with "Chicago," which often struggles just to get its stories told. Smith created memorable, quirky, individual characters and set them in motion to create a wholly unique series of events and experiences. Alaa Al Aswany has a journalist's instinct for sketching recognizable, culturally representative personalities, as long as they're Egyptian. So here we get the young radical (a misunderstood poet), the conniving president of a foreign students' union (who is also a religious hypocrite, a male chauvinist pig, and -- just in case you still missed the point -- a moocher with a secret bank account), a naturalized American who has deliberately rejected every shred of his Egyptian heritage and never fails to put down Egypt and all Egyptians in all his public conversations. And so on, including a young, observant Muslim woman, who has her values shaken by her encounter with American culture. Imagine that. There are others, but you can probably figure them out yourself if you've watched CNN for the last couple of years.

And these are the well-drawn characters. The problem is that there's virtually nothing surprising about any of them, so they come across more as types than as actual humans. Their predicaments are predictable, and so are their responses. By comparison, the "Americans" in the novel are stick figures. With their stock dialogue and limited responses, they seem to be there mostly to push the plots along. (I'm about halfway through the novel right now, so I'll report back when I'm finished, if anything actually changes about the whole character thing.)

Part of the disappointment of this novel doesn't reside with the author's work, however. It has apparently received the crudest, clumsiest translation I've ever encountered in a book first written in another language. At least I think that must be the problem. The prose seems wooden and childish at many points; surely the literate Egyptians who praised this novel and its predecessor didn't have to deal with the awkward locutions of the English here. (Or maybe they were so excited by the frank depictions of governmental corruption and the characters' sexy behavior that they overlooked its lack of purely literary merit?)

Some people will probably recognize themselves in the pages of "Chicago," especially if they squint. Everyone else can walk on by.

Chicago is the first novel I've read by Alaa Al Aswany, Egypt's best-selling author, dentist and political activist. Chicago tells the tale of a number of Egyptian medical students studying in Chicago on an Egyptian government scholarship, several expatriates, and Americans. The themes are as vast as the great city: racism, prejudice, class, love, religion, politics.

Chicago's greatest strength is that it presents to the American reader a glimpse into a culture that is not only foreign to (most of) us, but on that has been distorted by the media. Aswany surprised me, particularly on two of the above themes: sex/love and politics. I never expected a novel geared towards a predominantly Muslim audience to be sexually promiscuous (with sharia consequences, of course), nor one that would so openly criticize Egypt's current despotic administration, the effects of which are displayed heavily in the novel, particularly with Nagi, an Egyptian student-poet who was once a political detainee, and General Shakir, a convincingly evil and sadistic part of the secret police machinery who takes pleasure in the human rights violations he commits. Another character of note is Shaymaa, a devout Muslim woman student who falls in love with fellow student Tafiq, and is faced with the needs of love and the conflicts in brings with her religious upbringing.

The problem with Chicago is the translation, especially during the first fifty or so pages of the novel. Much of it makes Chicago seem like amateur fiction, as if Aswany was writing a short story for a fiction workshop at some community center. The translation is clumsy and stiff, and at times I found myself wondering if I should bother finishing the book.

Ultimately, what won me over is Aswany's presentation of his own culture, particularly the way in which the predominance of Islam influences the choices the characters make, in addition to Aswany's strong and daring political views. Had the translation been better I might have given this 3.5 or 4 stars, however, once can't really escape the effects of a poor translation when considering the quality of fiction.

Some things about Alaa al Aswany's novel Chicago put me off. The narrative voice, distant and rather formal, begins by treating readers to a brief history of the city, including the origin of its name (oh great, an academic lecture), then various characters are introduced and described with clinical objectivity (oh great, case histories). The one exception is Nagi, an Egyptian student who speaks in first person. His voice contrasts dramatically with that of the omniscient narrator and creates a more intimate connection with the reader. At first I wondered why Nagi gets the special treatment, but the reason becomes apparent by the end.

Another problem is dialogue that frequently sounds unrealistic. Mastery of American vernacular may be too much to expect from this Egyptian novelist, but the translator might have done more with the dialogue.

The narrative, when it finally gets going, consists of several interwoven stories. Situations are developed to the point of crisis, then left unresolved as the narrative switches to another storyline. The technique does create suspense, but it is used so consistently that it becomes irritating.

Despite these failings, Chicago is worth reading. Aswany creates memorable characters and dramatic situations. He shows a profound understanding of the motives that drive human beings and the pitfalls that can destroy their lives. There are scenes so vivid and authentic I will not soon forget them: Salah, a professor who regrets having left his native land decades ago, retreats to his basement and dresses in the clothes he wore when he came to America. Meanwhile his estranged wife goes out and buys a vibrator. Another character is reduced to peeping at his wayward daughter through a window.

Aswany has political points to score, and the political implications of the characters' choices are never far away. His villains - and some of his good guys - are defined by their politics and drawn a bit heavy-handedly. The story nonetheless rings true. Aswany's Chicago may be unfamiliar, but in the end, neither it nor his characters are alien to me.

Alaa Al Aswany is a staggeringly brave person. He is also, as I have learned by reading this book, a gifted novelist whose fiction brings us more closely than many of us might like to present day facts. The "About the Author" for this book indicates he lives in Cairo. If Eqypt is anything like the novel depicts (and as the interviewer of Aswany in the New York Times Magazine from April 27, 2008 appears to confirm) , you would wonder if he were even bold enough to live in the United States. Or anywhere without the best hiding place. Perhaps it may be that his celebrity provides him so safety but if you read this novel, you may, as I have, wonder - and fear for him.

Aswany attended the University of Illinois so he knows the university and the city. If Muslims have never been well understood in the United States and Islam not appreciated, certainly after 9/11 the misunderstandings and lack of appreciation for the many positive aspects of Islam and Muslims have only grown. Perhaps you were not even aware of the difficulties Christian Egyptians (Copts) face. Aswany shows all forcefully this in his characters. Even as fiction, it seems more real than my own hearing in the "real world" of how Muslims who had applied for U.S. citizenship had been experiencing lengthy delays. Unfortunately, much more sadly than delays in citizenship, I've read and heard more.

I have Muslim friends but we have not discussed the personal impact of 9/11 or of life in the U.S. I feel it is something now I should learn from them. It was careless of me not to have done so.

So is there too much sex in this novel? Would you like a romance novel? You can find those. Aswany at least does not shrink from the role sex plays in people's lives. I would by no means consider this porn. Of commercial advantage? Perhaps but how much truncation of experience do you want from a novelist?

Too much politics? But in these times when even for Anglo-Saxon U.S. citizens life in the U.S. seems scary, Aswany's political concerns about Egypt and the U.S. may make you wonder why you have not been concerned enough at least about the U.S. if you haven't been. Of course, there are other countries and their peoples, for example in the Middle East, for example Iraq, which we would do well do be more concerned about. There is a world of injustice, how to respond without being overwhelmed? Perhaps in some way you are. Even small ways seem better than to somehow do nothing at all.

It may be a surprise, given the powerful social concerns, just how strong "Chicago" is just as a story, with the lives of many characters interwoven. Easy to read but probably only due to Aswany's craft because the characters are well-developed, the settings well-described, and the subplots by no means simple. All this working together so that, despite at times feeling maybe the sex was overdone, maybe the political concerns seemed too explicit, toward the middle I was trapped and by the end stunned.

Cowardice has its cost; hopefully Aswany's courage has its rewards. In these frightening times, may we all find such courage. I do not know that I will but so much seems to depend on more and more of us doing so. "Chicago" is a compelling novel that will challenge you at your core. It is doing that for me and I will be faced with having to look back and wonder if I just wrote that for the sake of a better sounding review or if I mean it: in these times, in the U.S., in Egypt, in Iraq, in Afghanistan and elsewhere, Aswany has trapped me with that question.

Of Egyptian Culture in the U.S. I am impressed with Alaa Aswany and his style of writing. I will definitely seek out his previous book ."The Yacoubian Building"
I found myself caring about the characters and looking forward to the next chapter that continues their story. At first I found the author's way of writing to be confusing but then grew to like how the story was chaptered by character. Each chapter left me thinking about and waiting in anticipation for the next revealing facts about each character.
Having been born and raised in the U.S., I always find stories that share cultural information very interesting and informative. We truly do not know what it is like to be a minority living here in America.
"Chicago" brought me closer to understanding how complex living in America is for immigrants.
I found myself wanting more and was not truly satisfied when the story ended. In my opinion, that is a good read-wanting the story to go on.

I was very much looking forward to delving into Alla Al Aswany's latest novel, particularly after reading an in-depth interview with him in the NYT magazine section. A secondary delight for me was that he set his novel in Chicago, which is my hometown.

But, for me, here is the problem: how do you review an ambitious novel that tackles timely themes of today -- Egyptian and American lives colliding in the post 9/11 world -- when the translation is just so very clunky? Is it the overall theme that should be reviewed or the writing itself? (I had the same problem with Three Cups of Tea, with a very laudatory subject and, in my opinion, a fawning co-writer).

The problem starts in the beginning, when the author and translator talk about Chicago's endearing nicknames: windy city because of the winds (actually, it's because of a promotion from WIND radio) and "City of Big Shoulders" because of the extremely tall highrises (those highrises did not exist when Carl Sandburg used that tag). Small things, yes, but it revealed to me that editing and fact-checking were suspect. Then there are lines like this, about the Medical Center: "Non -medical colleges they are in other parts of the city." Or later on: "I can't help feeling ashamed." Answer: "There's nothing to be ashamed of if you look at it from a purely aesthetic point of view." In general, the dialogue read like -- well, something translated, instead of something authentic.

It's a shame that the book couldn't be handed to another, better translator, because it has interesting things to say about intolerance, the clash of American and Mideast values, the disconnects between pursuing financial power and religion, the ways that traditional upbringing can be threatened by American society. The setting itself --Chicago, where the glaring discrepancy toward upscale communities and poverty and unemployment -- is also worthy of exploration. Yet, to me, none of the characters truly came alive.

I strongly suspect that if I had the ability to read this book in Alaa Al Aswany's native language, my review would have been far more positive. Farouk Abdel Wahab's translation, unfortunately, does not do it justice.

For a book that takes place in Chicago,IL,USA,this author seems to know very little about the city or the country.Maybe I should have been warned off by his opening,thumbnail sketch of Chicago history.Most historians haven't bought the concept of the fire having been started by Mrs. O'Leary's cow in about 100 years and saying that The Windy City got that moniker because of the wind is just plain wrong.It was actually given it by a New York newspaperman because of its long-winded politicians.
All that aside,his Egyptian characters seem well conceived,if not really close to the Egyptians I've actually met.His American characters,however are masses of mis-interpretations of American types and mired in the ignorance and stupidity of the America of the 1960's and 1970's.
The generation that was young in the 1960's were not all,in fact not even mostly,wild-eyed,anti-war,anti-capitalist protesters.The silent majority was not just a term used by "The Man" but the actual truth.The author seems to have gleened most of his knowledge about my city and my country from old movies and old,very old leftist tracts handed out by barefooted losers in parks.The real America and the real Chicago are very different from what he portrays.He has one character called "The Yank" because of his all-American,blond looks.NO AMERICAN WOULD EVER CALL SOMEONE THAT! It's just stupid.He also has a young black woman fired from her job in a mall just for being black.In post 9/11 America? Really? There are so many anti-discrimination laws in this country that if ANY manager EVER even thought about doing something so idiotic,he would have to have the I.Q. of a houseplant.People occasionally GET jobs because of their race,but,in modern America you can't even fire an incompetent worker,whatever race, without enough evidence of incompetence to satisfy local,state and federal anti-discrimination laws,the Equal Employment Opportunity Commision and every government oversight group in every level of government.
In short,I had very high hopes for this book.I have always been an avid student of foreign writers,especially in books about America,but,the author's total lack of knowledge about modern America in general and Chicago in particular is just too glaring to overlook.Next time,he should do better research.Maybe actually go to the city he is writing about and talk to someone other than hard-core leftists living in a never was picture-book world of the past.

Alaa Al Aswany is pretty much a legend in Egypt. His last novel, the Cairo-based The Yacoubian Building became the bestselling novel in the Arab world and was made into the highest-grossing Egyptian film ever made. And his latest novel, Chicago, seems on its way to similar heights, selling 25,000 copies in its first week. It's an ambitious novel, filled with intrigue, sex and scandal, but to this Western reader it comes off as just a cut above typical soap opera drama with a cultural sidebar.

But the cultural sidebar is what makes the book. The extensive descriptions of Egyptian culture and the various Egyptian characters who inhabit the book, from the young poet turned activist to the devious politically-savvy informant turned student, Al Aswany does manage to paint his characters in an interesting, if rather broad, light. Sometimes the characters come off as caricatures, but more often than not they seem like real people facing slightly unrealistic issues.

There's the Egyptian turned American professor who has all but denounced his Egyptian life until his daughter runs off with her boyfriend and leaves him questioning his own values... unfortunately this plotline gets a little too much like the Michael Douglas plotline from Traffic to enjoy. There's the strict Muslim couple who are shocked to find themselves in love and then, gasp, pregnant. Another moral dilemna follows.

And the sex. There's a lot of it. Hardly a chapter goes by without a character either thinking about sex, discussing sex, or actually having sex. But the descriptive language used to describe the sex acts are slightly immaturish and repetitive. I'm sure this has to do with the translation, but it's quite distracting and turns scenes that are meant to titillate into scenes that cause choked laughter.

And though the book is titled Chicago, there's not much about Chicago to be found besides a brief history of the city in the first chapter. It's a bit disconcerting, being from Chicago, to have characters walk out of O'Hare airport and into downtown Chicago... but outsiders are unlikely to notice any problems with this.

Bottom line: Chicago is a quick read and an eye-opening cultural experience for anyone interested in the Egyptian lifestyle. It's hit from all angles here and often characters have monologues clearly designed to expand upon a thought or idea of the author's. It's an enjoyable enough book but definitely not something I'd recommend to everyone.

"Chicago" was a very interesting novel for me. There are many people in my life who are dealing with the dynamics of Eastern and Western cultures, and Alaa Al Aswany does an expert job of dealing with many of these issues, and does so with a great cast of characters. As this book is a translation from Aswany's Arabic "Shikagu", one also needs to appreciate the excellent translation done by Farouk Abdel Wahab.

As the title indicates, the action of the book takes place almost exclusively in Chicago at the University of Illinois Medical School. The characters are mostly Egyptians, but there are also several American characters which are very important in terms of the interactions which take place in the story with the Egyptians, as well as the need to present the Western culture perspective. The Egyptian characters are quite varied: there are characters trying to shred themselves of their Egyptian heritage, there are characters trying to maintain their power over other Egyptians, as well as those trying to escape from the politics of their homeland, and others as well.

The clash of cultures takes place at many levels and in many ways. The politics between nations in the post 9/11 world comes into play, as do the social differences in the way society deals with sex and relationships. There are also the interactions within the Egyptian culture which are significant and interesting as the different characters have different feelings with regards to which aspects of America are appropriate to integrate into their lives. The characters themselves are extremely well done and believable. The situations they face and the conflicts that each one faces with regards to the clash of cultures within themselves and with their friends, lovers, and associates makes for a very interesting read.

The story itself is different from that which I normally read. The number of characters is quite large, and there are key characters who are not introduced until well into the book. The story itself doesn't merge as one might expect, but at the same time I am not sure that is a flaw. Another unusual aspect is the way Aswany deals with the President of Egypt. He never mentions him by name, and in fact the only reference for which a name is given is Nasser. References to Sadat are also made in such a way that the reader knows to whom he is referring, but the name itself is not given.

This is a very good book, and I easily give it four stars. In my view, the story doesn't resolve itself well enough to give the book a five-star rating; however the characters, both eastern and western, merit a five-star rating and I can see why some might give it the top rating.