Frankenstein in Baghdad: A Novel

Great book , nicely written

I will start off with the “cons” of this book, because the “pros” are immense. My biggest complaint, if I had to complain, is some ‘confused telling’ aspects as well as overly long sections that (seemingly) serve a lesser purpose and bog down the plotting. The author skips around in time and between characters in a confusing way at times, which is distracting, causing me to have to re-orient myself in the story. However, I soon realized that the madness of the situation(s) was often being expressed in the confusing style. Now the pros: I felt like I was reading an old Arthurian tale, fantastic and highly symbolic, with a touch of “Catch 22” meets a macabre Python movie. The themes and symbolism are everywhere: **Dismemberment** (from the truth, reality, justice, home, family, self) - Everything is broken and displaced… buildings, families, order… and, as I said, even the story itself feels disjointed at times. **The Golem** of justice, protector and killer of his people because the world’s gone mad **St George the Martyr** who is famous for slaying a dragon that demanded human sacrifices (like our pieced together Golem)… and, hello, **George Bush** and St George is associated with England and Christianity which brings more thematic ideas of a Christ figure in our Golem. and we have Hadi, the liar and junk dealer (whose name is one of 99 names of god in Islam, meaning ‘The Guider’), trying to do something noble… like bringing his people together (in pieces and in whole) which the Whatsitsname/Golem tells us about all the time but especially on page 146 when he says, “ ‘The young madman thinks I am the model citizen that the Iraqi state has failed to produce, at least since the days of King Faisal I. ‘Because I am made up of body parts of people from diverse backgrounds - ethnicities, tribes, races, and social classes - I represent the impossible mix that never was achieved in the past. I am the first true Iraqi citizen,…’” Our Golem also says that he is “… the only justice there is in this country.”. Another character, Mahmoud (whose name has the coveted H-M-D letters that denote “praise” and being “praiseworthy”) says, “ it’s hard to convince anyone of this nonsense, but organized nonsense of this kind stands behind all the crimes committed,…” It’s a very deep, compelling, intricate, allegorical, fantastic telling of the ever branching, expanding horrors of brokenness and displacement that were inflicted upon Iraq and its people. So, while this is not my typical, favored, immersive reading experience, it was fascinating. I did stumble a bit with the cons mentioned above, but what really slowed my reading was eager note taking and lots and lots of googling. Which makes this book one of my second favorite type of reading experiences: one of L E A R N I N G. I feel I was given a very personal, inside glimpse of an unknown world. And I did ~feel~ and do better understand the true tragedy that our country, America, both exacerbated and set in motion there.

For a good time start on page 143. That's when the story actually starts. What comes before is a languid, meandering prologue that will make your eyes roll back in your head. The story comes together when Frankenstein's narrative starts. Up to that point, it's just a mess of what feel like random characters, some of whom are relevant at the end of the story, some of whom are not. There are craft issues with head hopping and weird, confusing scene transitions that don't clear up until right around page 143. It's like the first half or so is a first draft and the last half or so is a tightly plotted spec fic thriller. The book has two personalities that way. I like the idea suggested in another review that the story is meant to mirror Frankenstein's haphazard construction...but that's a really romanticized way to look at bad story structure. Anyway, the main thrust of the story is to question who is innocent and who is guilty through the lens of a Frankenstein. Who really is responsible for violence? Does anyone have clean hands? At the end there's an interesting conceptual switcheroo of who's good and who's evil. I'm glad I read the book,it has interesting ideas, but it was a long, punishing slog. Still, the story is an important piece of speculative fiction, although it might be better to wait for the movie...which I hope there will be one. A film would allow for the opportunity to correct issues with story pacing and clarity and let it shine the way it should because it really is a gem.

A must read. The surreal elements used to convey the politically relevant commentary uniquely brings to light the complexity of a region often viewed stereotypically. This book will leave you thinking. It will leave you wanting someone else you know to read it, so that you can verbally process the profound journey Saadawi took you on. Remember, this novel is translated and a lot is lost in translation. This should not be viewed as the fault of an author or a translator, but rather viewed with appreciation that’s English audiences have a small gateway into Iraqi and Arabic literature. For people less familiar with Iraqi names and those who struggle with numerous characters, there is a handy character list provided at the beginning of the novel with a brief description of who they are!

Hey i recommend this. Passed on it for a while because i was suspicious that it could be as good as some of the reviews, based on the brief description of the premise. but.... i went for it et viola.... very well written and engaging and about all the things that make us human. Whether we are reanimated from parts or still trudging through it on the first pass with our original selves in tact.

This is a very beautiful and interesting book. You can see the horror that people of this Country have lived but with one kind of hope. At the same time you can approach some political topics and appreciate their ancient culture in a nearest way!!!. I recommend it.

Well what to say. The writing is good The characters varied and all interesting. The Monster itself is hard to judge without giving to much away. Ultimately I came away thinking that The whole country was a total mess. Do yourself a favour and give this book a go it does deserve respect.

Gift for my boyfriend who is an international affairs aficionado. He loved it!

3.5 ⭐️ This book caught my attention since it was shortlisted for the Man Booker International - 2018. Having developed a liking for Arabic Literature from Khaled Hosseini, I decided to give it a read. I knew this would be different from the reviews, and yes, this book was very different. Where the book succeeds: The author takes us on a virtual tour of the war torn streets of Baghdad and through the eyes of the localites, gives us a feel for the prevailing insecurity, horror & destruction which the people there have come to accept as a new sense of normalcy -- something which the citizens in the saner parts of the world would deem surreal and unfathomable. Through "Frankenstein", the author plants these haunting and thought provoking questions in the readers' minds: "How innocent is the innocent, and how criminal is the criminal"? One man's criminal can be another man's saviour. The book brings forth the paradoxical nature of moral absolutism, blurring the lines between the good and the evil. Where the book falls short: Though the main characters have been well crafted and come alive with their eccentricities, there are a number of side characters whose roles are unclear & unjustified; they seem to clutter the story rather than add value. The ending is inconclusive and the metaphor "Frankenstein" depicts is left to the readers' imagination. Overall it's a good read, and kudos to the author for depicting the gruesome horrors of war with wit, humor and sarcasm. Excerpts from Arablit.org: "By emphasising the relativity of values, Frankenstein in Baghdad is a novel that suspends moral judgement." "The novel could be read as an attempt to poke fun at the sense of moral absolutism which takes the form of categorising people into black and white, a propensity which often acts as a catalyst for war."

The opening and the final chapters explain how the events narrated came to be known to the author and the manuscript rescued. One of a huge cast of colourful Baghdadis assembles a corpse from "bits" left after explosions and it comes to life with the mission of avenging the dead from whose body parts he has been put together. However, the task expands exponentially, and his mission of exacting revenge is complicated by the realisation people are neither completely innocent nor completely guilty. The "thing's" nocturnal depredations are ineptly followed by the shadowy Pursuit and Tracking Department which employs a variety of astrologers, and preoccupy the inhabitants of Lane n° 7' whose crumbling houses portend the collapse of the traditional life of the neighbourhood, with its mixed population of Muslims and Christians. If events in Baghdad are extraordinary, still ordinary life continues despite everything. The story is narrated in broadly chronological order, but the chapters, reflecting different viewpoints, overlap. A great post-modern novel.