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Lyn's Reviews > Otared
Otared
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by
I can now say that I have read three books that describe hell on earth.
Joining Elie Wiesel’s Night and Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West, Egyptian author Mohammad Rabie’s 2016 novel Otared envisions a terrible future for his country, set a few decades in the future, but revealing a Boschian depiction of graphic violence and depravity.
To be clear, this book will not be for everyone. The opening pages depicts a grisly scene and this serves as a preparatory call to attention for the reader, what lies ahead is not for the faint of heart.
This futuristic post-occupation portrait of Cairo reads more like a post-apocalypse novel as the streets of this Nile city have become a feral world of kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. While some writers seek to contain or minimize for readability the explicit depiction of violence, Rabie revels in it, and his grisly narration is relentless and unsoftened. Rabie's protagonist Otared is a resistance fighter in the streets, murderously intent on ousting the invaders, but is fatalistically consumed with the horror that surrounds him.
I recall a discussion some years ago about the propriety of Al Jazeera’s reporting of terrorist scenes. While most western news agencies will discreetly edit scenes of violence, Al Jazeera’s threshold for discretion is much less pronounced. One commentator proponent of Al Jazeera, though, may a compelling argument when he said that war is ugly and thus should be described accurately as such to reveal its true nature.
Rabie’s prose is simple and straightforward, with a shifting perspective and an eye for detail. I read the Robin Moger translation and was caught up in his story.
Gentle readers beware, but for those who can make it to the end, Rabie has expertly delivered a somber, horrifying vision.
*** A free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review
Joining Elie Wiesel’s Night and Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West, Egyptian author Mohammad Rabie’s 2016 novel Otared envisions a terrible future for his country, set a few decades in the future, but revealing a Boschian depiction of graphic violence and depravity.
To be clear, this book will not be for everyone. The opening pages depicts a grisly scene and this serves as a preparatory call to attention for the reader, what lies ahead is not for the faint of heart.
This futuristic post-occupation portrait of Cairo reads more like a post-apocalypse novel as the streets of this Nile city have become a feral world of kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. While some writers seek to contain or minimize for readability the explicit depiction of violence, Rabie revels in it, and his grisly narration is relentless and unsoftened. Rabie's protagonist Otared is a resistance fighter in the streets, murderously intent on ousting the invaders, but is fatalistically consumed with the horror that surrounds him.
I recall a discussion some years ago about the propriety of Al Jazeera’s reporting of terrorist scenes. While most western news agencies will discreetly edit scenes of violence, Al Jazeera’s threshold for discretion is much less pronounced. One commentator proponent of Al Jazeera, though, may a compelling argument when he said that war is ugly and thus should be described accurately as such to reveal its true nature.
Rabie’s prose is simple and straightforward, with a shifting perspective and an eye for detail. I read the Robin Moger translation and was caught up in his story.
Gentle readers beware, but for those who can make it to the end, Rabie has expertly delivered a somber, horrifying vision.
*** A free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review
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Reading Progress
May 27, 2017
–
Started Reading
May 27, 2017
– Shelved
June 2, 2017
–
Finished Reading
