In this way, the novel asks us certain real life questions. The opening image of Amir waking up on the shore after the ship wrecks is a clear callback to the image of Alan Kurdi that finally drew the eyes of the world to the Syrian refugee crisis. Amir and his family have presumably left Syria for Egypt and Amir ends up on a Greek Island, possibly Kos. Despite their language barriers and despite the risk it imposes on her, Vanna chooses to help Amir and together they attempt to reach true freedom.Īlthough no countries or towns are named, the connections to real life are obvious. He meets and befriends a slightly older local girl, Vanna. Now Amir is the only survivor of the boat, washed ashore on an unknown island and in hiding from local authorities. As the reader, we know more about Amir’s journey and destination than Amir does and the tension only ramps up as his journey becomes more and more dangerous. Without meaning to, Amir boards a boat one night, surrounded by strangers, heading to a place he doesn’t know. Amir and his family have had to leave their home suddenly and are living an in-between sort of life, never entirely safe from the dangers they’ve fled from. Then Amir lived in a foreign country with his mother, his stepfather (who used to be his Quiet Uncle), and his baby brother. If anything, I think that speaks to Omar El Akkad’s talent as a writer. None of that is to say the story isn’t fresh or fascinating to read, simply that it largely felt like it was written by a different author.
The story is told in divided sections, titled either Then or Now. Overall, What Strange Paradise takes a more conventional storytelling approach, focusing on two main characters with a few crucial side characters. Having read El Akkad’s previous novel, American War, I expected something similar in topic and style. At the same time, that ending punch is important and, I think, it’s important that it comes as a surprise so I don’t want to give it away. What Strange Paradise ends with such a gut punch that it’s almost impossible to think back over the novel without thinking of it in light of those final lines.
I received an Advance Reader’s Copy from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for this review.
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