Chicago
The Age
Saturday October 11, 2008
Chicago
Alaa Al Aswany Fourth Estate, $32.99ALAA AL ASWANY IS an Egyptian dentist turned novelist. He became a bestselling author in both the Islamic world and the West with The Yacoubian Building, a novel about a vivid and idiosyncratic cast of characters living in the same Cairo apartment block. With Chicago, Al Aswany turns his eye to the immigrant experience. The book revolves around a loose collection of Egyptian expats linked to the histology department at the University of Illinois. Each character struggles to reconcile the influences of Egyptian and American culture. From Professor Thabit, who strives to be more American than the Americans but has the thoroughness of his assimilation tested when his daughter falls for a dissolute artist, to Danana, a medical student and stooge for the Egyptian secret police, Al Aswany presents a spectrum of responses. Chicago is an infinitely readable page-turner but the ham-fisted treatment of US history and culture often undermines its plausibility.
© 2008 The Age