Jerusalem, Palestine, two men who love each other
A strange wind blows, it invades the houses, and gives a dreamlike character to the places described. Two men meet at Aunt Fatima’s in Jerusalem. Gabriel quickly falls under Isaac’s spell and comes to see him in the evening, at his workplace. Isaac, like many oriental characters, is an excellent narrator and he tells him many stories with jinns, witches and knights. A feeling of love will be born in a wounded country, in a very specific community, where it will be necessary to confront checkpoints, the obstacles set by extreme leaders. How can such a relationship be lived in a fragmented country like that?
Karim Kattan’s writing is truly beautiful and poetic. This Palestinian writer, undoubtedly nourished by certain oriental writers, gives a particular color to his novel. The choice of his narrator is ideal since it is the sky which knows a lot about its characters without mastering everything. It is a narrator who speaks to the reader. The writing is rich in images and sometimes resembles poetic prose. There is rhythm, beautiful images, figures of speech, even verses sometimes. The language has something magical and transports the reader into this love story between two men.
There is also a spatial and social anchoring. The tensions that we are often told about in the news are present in this novel. We can measure the horror that this can represent for simple human beings who have asked for nothing and who just want to live. The simple fact of walking or going on vacation while facing military checks becomes complicated moments. Certain scenes mark the spirits and a feeling of injustice can be felt.
The way Karim Kattan talks about love is unique and poetic. Desire and the feeling itself are described with force and accuracy, without falling into a manufactured and sometimes ridiculous romanticism. There is something carnal and intense in this relationship without the reader being confronted with descriptions of sexual scenes. The description of Isaac’s desire goes beyond the usual descriptions and is more accurate even if some remarks could surprise. There are really some very beautiful pages on love.
I found this novel very successful. The writing is truly aesthetic and poetic. The novel is on the first lists for literary prizes. He is truly an author who deserves to be read and known. It is a worked language, oriental, dreamlike and sensual. The novel has the beauty of oriental novels that have exceptional storytellers. A very good novel!
