Amazon.com Review
In his debut novel, Viken Berberian offers a rich and vital portrayal of a prospective Middle Eastern terrorist.
The Cyclist explores the background and motivations of its unnamed narrator, a Lebanese terrorist-in-training given the task of detonating a bomb (delivered on his bicycle) at a luxury hotel outside of Beirut. Much of the novel's first half takes place in a hospital, wherein the narrator, seriously injured after a collision on his bicycle, shares details of his past and ruminates on his extreme political sentiments and love of food and bicycling. As the day of his planned sacrifice draws near, new obligations arise and he gradually realizes the possible ramifications of his proposed retaliatory strike. Berberian skillfully constructs a humanizing account of a man who is a witness to acts of cruelty, who is driven by fear, anger, and hope of retribution.
In recognizing the cyclical nature of Middle Eastern conflict, the novel suggests the courage required of those similarly victimized to resist fatalism and act nonviolently in support of peace. Berberian displays sensitivity toward--and insight into--a difficult subject, and his evocative, detailed descriptions enliven this often maligned and misapprehended region. The novel's vibrant metaphors and similes associate typically contrasting elements, illustrating the complexity of life in an area where the relative frequency of bloodshed colors and politicizes every aspect of it. Berberian's perceptive and unconventional eye adds dimension to a region and a growing ideology in desperate need of understanding, and makes The Cyclist an important as well as enjoyable work. --Ross Doll
From Publishers Weekly
A terrorist prepares to attack a Beirut hotel in Berberian's first novel, a thinly plotted but stylistically alluring character study that begins with the anonymous narrator laid up in a hospital after being clocked by a Mercedes while riding his bike. As his girlfriend, Ghaemi Basmati, helps nurse him back to health, he ponders the ultimate ride he will soon take to a seaside hotel with a backpack full of plastic explosives. He also recalls his terrorist training at "the Academy," where the attack was referred to as a "baby," terminology that becomes more ironic when the cyclist learns that Basmati is pregnant with his child. Throughout his musings, though, the narrator seems as obsessed with food as he is with the success of his mission, meals and delicacies functioning as both metaphor and sustenance as he flashes back through his life. The final attack takes place during a bicycle race, and while the plan is for the narrator to survive, he imperils both himself and the mission by getting caught up in the race. Berberian is a thoughtful writer, delivering a compelling psychological portrait, one that will probably earn him an audience based on the public's increased interest in terrorism. But the story peters out as Berberian tries to stretch the plot: in many respects the book might have worked better had it been kept to novella length. That quibble aside, there's enough meat on the bones here to leave readers curious about Berberian's future efforts. Agent, Melanie Jackson.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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