Tangentially

Tangentially addressing the plight of children forced to race camels in the Persian Gulf, this title, by an author who has spent time living in Dubai, is for slightly younger readers than Kim Antieau's similarly themed Broken Moon (2007). When war erupts in the fictional city of Abudai, Adam, a carefree Australian living there, stupidly leaves his convoy and winds up stranded in the desert. There, he meets former camel rider Wadil, left for dead by his ruthless trainers. Emphasizing Adam's point of view but interjecting comments from Wadil, the narrative shows how the adolescents, neither of whom speaks the other's language, move past dismissive labels (crazy Infidel, half-wit who can't speak English) as they struggle to survive. Weakening the message about cross-cultural understanding is the convoluted grammar of Wadil's perceptions; wouldn't he think and speak fluently in his own language? Despite this misstep, the cliff-hanging chapters will hook readers, particularly fans of Will Hobbs; and the timely backdrop of politics and society in the Middle East is a welcome aspect of this first novel. Mattson, Jennifer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Tangentially 2016-11-08T04:08:00-08:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: new movie