A Land Without Jasmine

I bought the Kindle version of this book for a college Literature course. From the synopsis, I was sure this would be enjoyable. I was unprepared for this story to grip my heart and not let go.This was a beautiful and surreal look at a culture which is usually portrayed negatively on the world stage. The switches in point of view were expertly done, each character having a distinct voice, which is very difficult to accomplish. The plot unfolded piece by piece in an intriguing fashion, leaving the reader in suspense until the very end. Al-Ahdahl's writing flows beautifully!! As soon as I was done reading this book, I wanted to reread it immediately. Anyone interested in supernatural suspense and/or detective stories should absolutely buy this book!

A Land Without Jasmine sends a very clear message violence will occur with sexual frustration (rape and murder), repression both political/sexual exists and also leads to violence as well.The novella is told in six voices which causes a bit of choppiness probably a factor of language translation issues. The author uses quite a bit of symbolism throughout the story. My only concern it is rather stereotypical in a negative way toward Arabs, could cause reader to be unjustly prejudice."In the mosque our men pray devoutly and piously, embodying such praiseworthy characteristics that they seem to be Merciful God's angels. But the moment they're back on the street they forget God, morph into evil demons, practice duplicity, deceit and perfidy, and chase after forbidden pleasures."Quite a controversial novella, leaving the reader in limbo - which might have been the authors intent. Wajdi Al Ahdal is a rogue author, his writing causing his leaving Yemen. He takes on controversial subject matters and isn't afraid of potential backlash. A fresh voice, a maverick revealing a side of Yemen and the Middle East few would touch.

A quick and puzzling read. Magical realism in a similar vein to Isabelle Allende - I think I loved it!

satisfied

It's just not the kind of book I would enjoy. Didn't particularly like how it ended. There could have been more to the girls story.

It was not what I expected. Quite frankly, I was disappointed, as it was acclaimed as such a wonderful book, and I felt it was just smut. I would never recommend this to anyone.

This book is about a young Yemeni woman named Jasmine, who is beautiful and virtuous and feels herself to be hemmed in by the desires of the men around her. One day she disappears while attending university, and the search is on. The police interview family, friends, neighbors, and try to find the missing girl. There is plenty of suspicion but only one clue; several people saw a mysterious, white-haired man with her during her last few hours at the university. The police search for this person while collecting accounts from everyone who knew her.The ending of this book is well prepared for and is a bit of a mystery, but there are only a couple of real possibilities. You need to know a little bit about Middle Eastern folklore to figure out what probably happened to Jasmine, but this is provided in the book, in brief. In the end, someone is blamed for Jasmine's disappearance and is disappeared himself, and life goes on...without Jasmine.This book is actually just a novella, 82 pages long,and is something you can read in an hour and a half. I was caught up in Jasmine's disappearance and swept along in the police investigation, as all the witnesses weigh in with their accounts, and as the ending comes closer I was pleased at the final outcome of the case. This is a fast-paced, interesting book about a young woman who maybe was not quite meant for this world, and found a way out of it. I wish I knew how Jasmine herself felt about her disappearance, and whether she was happy in her new state of being, but the book sort of answers at these questions, in a way, and you can take it as you like. The book reminds me of "A Palace in the Old Village," by the Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Jelloun, which also has a mystical ending, though a different one than this book. I find I rather like mystical endings, if they're well prepared for. They're different than run-of-the-mill literature and open out your sense of possibilities in life. A good book that'll grab you from page one and spit you out the other end going, "Huh!"

A captivating book with colourful characters, thoughtful social observation and intriguing morals. I highly recommend it. Only complaint would be having had to part with this interesting world too soon.